Hybrids?

[Animalnstinct]

This has been on my mind for a bit and I figured I would just go ahead and ask. I know that placing two different species together is highly not recommended from people both in the frog and non frog community.

However, I have noticed that it seems a bit more accepted in the frog community like with the fantasy pacman being a hybrid. I was just wondering why that is and if I'm maybe missing something?

[poison beauties]

Hybridization is actually frowned upon by most of the amphibian community though more so outspokenly by dart frog hobbyists. I see it this way, we are in a hobby that has so many shapes, colors and varieties of amphibians why do we need to create an unnatural one?
By the way I am a very out spoken Dart Frog Hobbyists so my opinion is one sided.

Michael

[Eric Walker]

By the way I am a very out spoken Dart Frog Hobbyists so my opinion is one sided.

Michael

ha ha , thats an understatement michael.

I totally agree though. and no clue what they are thinking with those fat frogs.

[ARMS87]

Hybridisation is a method of evolution, non african humans are about 4% neanderthal according to new evidence. The way I see it, it's adding to the variety of this world and amphibians are a declining group..

More philosphical than practical help, my opinions are essentially if you can without causing suffering, go for it, just get as much help as possible, and of course you'd have to be realistic is the choices for mixing.

Ever saw a Tigon? Liger? Half Zebra Horses? Mixed Cats and Dogs.. etc etc

[wesleybrouwer]

A mix between cat and dog ? How?

Personally i am not for hybrids.
Some hybrids don't show they are....untill a few generations later.
The frogs that are in the hobby, won't necesseraly be introduced from the wild again.
So polluting the bloodlines may cause losing a pure species in captivity all together.

Why pacmans are crossbred? No idea, maybe just because a new color will get more money or something?
The Fantasy frogs are invertile as well, so why bother anyway?

I think crossbreeding isn't always in the best interest of the animal,
more for human enjoyment or economical purpose.
Why breeding snakes with the weirdest colors that can't even move properly anymore,
or bearded dragond, so called "leather backs".
They miss the scales on the back, not a wise choice for a species that need to sunbath.

[ARMS87]

A mix between cat and dog ? How?

Personally i am not for hybrids.
Some hybrids don't show they are....untill a few generations later.
The frogs that are in the hobby, won't necesseraly be introduced from the wild again.
So polluting the bloodlines may cause losing a pure species in captivity all together.

Why pacmans are crossbred? No idea, maybe just because a new color will get more money or something?
The Fantasy frogs are invertile as well, so why bother anyway?

I think crossbreeding isn't always in the best interest of the animal,
more for human enjoyment or economical purpose.
Why breeding snakes with the weirdest colors that can't even move properly anymore,
or bearded dragond, so called "leather backs".
They miss the scales on the back, not a wise choice for a species that need to sunbath.

Mixed breeds of dog, and mixed breeds of cat, not cat and dog together!

The word polluting implies that one of the species is inferior

Did you mean infertile? Odds are there will be a pair that are fertile born at some point..

Mixing can create an animal with superior traits than it's parents.
In humans trying to keep bloodlines free from novel traits creates disease and insanity :P something the royalty of europe and the nazis never thought about. I personally think the most beautiful women are the offspring of an asian and a caucasian

Again not giving practical help, just an argument for the principle of mixed breeding

[Tony]

Mixed breeds of dog, and mixed breeds of cat, not cat and dog together!

You are comparing man-made varieties to wild forms that have evolved over many thousands of years or more in response to the unique selective pressures of their environments. It is an apples and oranges argument.

Some folks seem to think that keeping two varieties of D. tinctorious (for example) from different sides of a river seperate, because one has leg stripes and the other has leg spots, has some significance in this life and should be observed at all cost.

If those two forms of tinctorius represent distinct populations in the wild, then they absolutely should be kept separate in captivity. It has nothing to do with the phenotype, some populations are polymorphic but interbreed freely like Bastimentos Island pumilio, and some populations that are widely separated in nature express similar phenotypes like the various green and black auratus. What is important is maintaining the genetic integrity of our captive populations, if they don't interbreed in nature then they should not be interbred in captivity. It doesn't matter if YOU think a particular barrier to gene flow appears significant or not, if that barrier is enough to segregate two distinct wild populations it doesn't matter how small it seems.

[Whistly]

Not really about frogs but I hybridize my Bengalese and Zebra finches and they turn out fine and I've had no problems and if anything they look better than the pure bred finches, so if you can try and get two frogs with beautiful markings they should turn out quite good also ARMS87 a zebra x horse is called a zorse and another cross breed is the polar bear x grizzly bear so if it happens in nature I'm sure it can happen in captivity.

[smashtoad]

I think crossbreeding isn't always in the best interest of the animal...

This subject always ends in the same way...an argument.

If animals can successfully breed and produce fertile young, they are usually a stronger animal overall, and obviously, God or Mother Nature (however you swing) is cool with it too. Line breeding is much more detrimental in the long run, but you can't convince some people of that, even though pure bred dogs and their line bred issues are well known.

Some folks seem to think that keeping two varieties of D. tinctorious (for example) from different sides of a river seperate, because one has leg stripes and the other has leg spots, has some significance in this life and should be observed at all cost.

Personally, I find the whole thing silly. It is as if someday we're gonna have this huge reintroduction party and turn everything loose, and they all have to go back exactly where they are from, and if you turn them loose somewhere else, Al Gore gets to publicly flog you on a special live edition of Sixty Minutes.

If someone wants to keep their animal line pure, great. But if someone else wants to hybridize something, that should be fine too. The good thing is that they can whine and moan all they want...and that's about it.

If I could have a ten inch toad colored like a bumblebee toad, I wouldn't give a **** how it was produced, or where it came from.

To the mods: When you censor the word c - r - a - p, it makes people think I used another word, which I didn't.