Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Retic

Almost Legendary
Joined
Jan 3, 2004
Messages
8,284
Reaction score
0
Location
Sydney
There was apparently a recent study that showed the Jungle and Coastal Carpet share the exact same genetic make up so are in fact the same species. Does any have anymore information on this study, eg links to it ?
If this is the case does that mean the names cheynei and mcdowelli are redundant and crossbreeding isn't in fact an issue ? I have no interest in crossing them but it does seem like a very important piece of news especially considering the laws up here in Queensland.
I apologise if this has already been posted.
 
I'd also like to hear about this study, I've heard a variety of things involving Carpet Python Genetics, from the sub species being chopped up into full species to them all being basically the same things simply with a high variety of forms. Would love to see papers about this.

Nothing wrong with reclassifying so long as there is good reason to.
 
I think we will see huge advances in the next few years. I think I go along with them all being basically the same species with as you say a huge variety of colour forms. The ONLY way to classify them is through the use of DNA. If they are identical genetically then any clour or pattern variation is completely irrelevant as far as species classification goes I would have thought ?
 
so............, does anyone have any info on it ? pretty please !! with a fat cherry on top ! (who stole my smileys?!!)
 
I am still trying to track down the info on it now.
 
Boa, regardless of any re-classification that may happen. A jungle is still a jungle.
Justify your crossbreeding some other way - morals outweigh technicalities.
Good luck with your 'huge advances' .
 
:lol: I haven't crossbred anything. :lol: My huge advances statement referred to the advances in classifying morelia species through DNA. The morals statement is very funny.
 
they are the same species, thats been known for years, but they are sud-species. so crossing IMO is a form of cross breeding. Just like diamonds and carpets.
 
Of course the fact that they are the same species has been known for years the point of this research seems to be that they are not sub species as they are genetically identical. It is sort of like saying someone with pale skin and red hair is a sub species of homo sapien.
It's absolutely fine for you to have the opinion that it is cross breeding but if they are genetically identical it quite clearly can't be cross breeding.
I'm not to sure about the genetics of coastals and Diamonds but I would guess they are different ?

I should add that of course a Jungle is still a Jungle just like a Birsbane coastal will always be just that and all the other forms of coastals as well.
 
well think about it boa, they are NOT genetically identical, look at the size and patteren differences, thats all down to genetics, and they are miles apart in most cases there.????
 
So you are saying that if in fact this study does show them to be genetically identical as a species you will dimiss it ? Look at humans, I am 6 foot 5 with darkish hair and my wife is 5 foot 4 with light hair, we are both the same species but differ remarkably.
Should all he 'different' coastals be reclassified because some get to be 10 feet long and others 7 feet and some are light with big boofy heads and other dark with slimmer heads ?
How can you say that they are NOT genetically identical if a scientific study of their DNA shows they are ?
 
Why will certain animals of the same species only grow to a very small size and others to a very larger size in certain areas?, this is genetic evolution and differs from each other. Thats how i can say that.!!
 
I doubt they'd be identical genetically, quite similar maybe, but identical? I have my doubts, they are two very different snakes and at the very least are seperate races as I see it.
 
Again whay are some humans from certain areas short and blond or others tall and dark or any other combination ? So am I right in saying that you think coastals should be divided into many sub species as they show remarkable diversity ?
What I am saying is if it turns out to be true you cant argue with DNA it doesn't matter how strongly you feel about it.
 
I guess this comes down to what is "genetically identical". True Blue and I are the same species (notwithstanding that he is actually a Kiwi) yet we do not have identical DNA. At what stage does a geneticist state that DNA is still identical.

perhaps if we bred & sold humans some people would cross negros with aborigines and some people would want to keep them locality pure. I don't know that we have acually given sub-speicies status to caucasian humans yet but there is little argument that they are soemwhat different to aborigine humans.

But back to the Carpet isue. I know I keep repeating myself here. But when I learned about herps Bredlis were m. spilota variegata as were Jungles, Coastals, Darwins and MD's. Something just changed between 1988 and now.

Personally (and this is merely my own position) I wouldn't cross a WA with a QLD BHP so even if Junglegs do become the same species as a Coastal (again) I still wouldn't want to cross breed them.
 
I absolutely understand what you are saying but we are talking about scientific research not someone off the street just deciding they are the same. IF and I keep repeating IF the scientific research shows them to be identical we as non scientists can take it upon ourselves to just decide we don't agree.


Dicco said:
I doubt they'd be identical genetically, quite similar maybe, but identical? I have my doubts, they are two very different snakes and at the very least are seperate races as I see it.
 
Boa, only DNA can tell us about it, and I can't argue over that, what I mean is that they are not exactly the same, even if they are of the same sub-species, they are considerably different, enough for me to consider them to be of a different 'race'. I consider McDowell's to be of many 'races' but still the same subspecies. All I'm saying is they are still different, even if it isn't a great deal, not trying to defy genetics at all :)
 
It only seens to be the northern carpets,(north of townsville), that differ so much from the rest, most other forms/morhps can be found everwhere up and down the coast.
So your saying that geneticaly your the same as an afrian pygmy, boa.
 
Peter, I don't think the cross breeding thing is the issue BUT it does have repurcussions up here with our legislation. As I pointed out in my original post I have no interest in cross breeding the 2, it was someone else who twisted it around.
Most of us wouldn't cross a WA and QLD BHP, there is no real point.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top