From: "Robert Comer" 

> Because they don't generally share the same range, it doesn't happen
> often. But it does happen. Naturally.


Then maybe they aren't separate species, just local variations?  They are
different sizes and color differences, but look at humans as a counter
example, go down to central America and look at some natives and then
compare them to American Caucasians -- the differences are just as large if
not larger in man than deer.  Anyway, it's just an interesting
side-argument...

> This is where the rubber meets the road, as it were. Are they different
> species, according to science? I'm not the expert, but fish taxonomists
> have placed them as different species, and I'll leave it at that.

I just think it's arguable -- they could have been classified as separate
species to begin with and then never changed.  It all depends on what you
mean by what a separate species is and I think that has changed somewhat
too.

--
Bob Comer


"Bill Lucy"  wrote in message
news:MPG.1de6493926afef60989730{at}news.barkto.com...
> In article , bobcomer{at}mindspring.com says...
>> > So the fertile offspring of a horse and a donkey is the same species?
>>
>> There are so very few fertile that your guess is as good as mine.  And a
>> bigger question is if  it's a natural cross anyway. (would it happen in
>> the
>> wild and would it be viable)
>
> I really did think of leaving hinnies (the fertile cross) out, since
> it's one in a million.
>
>> > Mule deer and whitetail deer?
>>
>> I never heard of a cross between those two, natural or man assisted?
>
> Because they don't generally share the same range, it doesn't happen
> often. But it does happen. Naturally.
>
>> > Xiphophorus maculatus, Xiphophorus helleri, and Xiphophorus vaiatus are
>> > the same species?*
>>
>> Something I've actually kept myself, and those 3 are *extremely* closely
>> related, and it could probably be argued that they are indeed the same
>> species with some slight variation.  They don't usually choose to
>> crossbreed
>> (even among different color schemes of supposedly the same species), but
>> they aren't against the idea either. 
>
> This is where the rubber meets the road, as it were. Are they different
> species, according to science? I'm not the expert, but fish taxonomists
> have placed them as different species, and I'll leave it at that.
>
> I've only used some examples, BTW. I'm waiting for Gary's response,
> because there's more to the story regarding speciation by breeding.
>

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