Intergeneric and interspecific hybrids

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net
Thu, 10 Jun 2004 03:20:36 PDT
Thank you, John.

Now, if you don't mind, let me rephrase your original message:

Wolfhounds are from eastern Europe and have a lanky, slender build, long
narrow skulls and long, frequently bushy tails. Chihuahuas are from Mexico,
are small, have rounded heads with bulgy eyes and short hair. There are
also other differences between the two species, such as seed [naughty words
suppressed] size. The hybrid between them, the so-called hairless wolf-rat,
has the habit of the Chihuahua but is more slender. If my memory is correct...

Do you get my point? 

Remember, organisms are not members of the same species because they look
alike, they look alike because they are members of the same species. And
other members of that same species may not share the same characteristics. 

Think of Magnolia liliiflora and M. denudata as different ends of the same
rope, a rope woven of varying materials. 

Jim McKenney
jimmckenney@starpower.net
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where some people may be
thinking it's time to rope this guy in.










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