I know that no one can say exactly how long ago things happened, but thats the easiest way to explain it to people.
The main reason for explaining it that way is so people do realise that crossing a diamond and a coastal in captivity will not give you an intergrade.
Even if you were to try it in captivity IMO you would not get the same thing as your taking out the chance element of particular animals meeting in the wild, things dying etc.
As for seeing intergrades with diamonds or coastals, you only have to look at coastals from Coffs harbour or Diamonds for Foster or Port Stephens to see they they have got intergrade influence to them.
Thats not what i'm talking about, i'm talking about Port Macquaire carpet pythons.
If you stand in the centre of Port Macquaire and walk in a straight line, by the time you find diamonds or coastals you won't be anywhere near Port Mac anymore.
The point is that Port Mac intergrades (which are only found in Port) only breed with Port mac intergrades, they are a locale of carpet python, therefore they are not a natural hybrid, just a carpet python found in Port Mac with a bad name.
Thats why they have been given that unfortunate name of intergrade because they are the transition between Diamonds and Coastals.
The further south you Diamonds have less banding, the futher north you go the less rossettes coastals have.
I'm not saying wild hybridising doesn't occur, i'm saying it doesn't occur in Port Macquaire.
The main reason for explaining it that way is so people do realise that crossing a diamond and a coastal in captivity will not give you an intergrade.
Even if you were to try it in captivity IMO you would not get the same thing as your taking out the chance element of particular animals meeting in the wild, things dying etc.
As for seeing intergrades with diamonds or coastals, you only have to look at coastals from Coffs harbour or Diamonds for Foster or Port Stephens to see they they have got intergrade influence to them.
Thats not what i'm talking about, i'm talking about Port Macquaire carpet pythons.
If you stand in the centre of Port Macquaire and walk in a straight line, by the time you find diamonds or coastals you won't be anywhere near Port Mac anymore.
The point is that Port Mac intergrades (which are only found in Port) only breed with Port mac intergrades, they are a locale of carpet python, therefore they are not a natural hybrid, just a carpet python found in Port Mac with a bad name.
Thats why they have been given that unfortunate name of intergrade because they are the transition between Diamonds and Coastals.
The further south you Diamonds have less banding, the futher north you go the less rossettes coastals have.
I'm not saying wild hybridising doesn't occur, i'm saying it doesn't occur in Port Macquaire.