When people hybridize

MintyWood826

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 16, 2018
Messages
401
So when you find out that somebody is hybridizing spiders, what do you say? Should I keep quiet? They are breeding P. otiosus x P. regius.
 

Ratmosphere

Arachnoking
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
2,294
These species have been crossbred in the past.


"Otiosus and regius can interbreed, though their offspring are sterile and often have developmental problems

Otiosus and audax are incapable of hybridizing, it's like a lock and key, only closely related members of a species complex can interbreed, because of genital structure"
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@Smokehound714
 

sschind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
358
Its not illegal and depending on your stance it may not even be immoral or unethical. The best you can do is let them know you are not in favor of hybrids. Don't say you don't approve because they they don't need your approval and if they are doing it they probably won't care. Be ready to explain your position if they should happen to ask.

If I see hybrids I usually don't say anything. If they point it out I usually say something like "I don't care for hybrids myself" or "I'm not a fan of hybrids" Most of the time they are aware that it is a controversial topic and that's the end of it. I've had people ask why and I simply explain that I prefer pure species and if hybrids get into the hobby it can muddy the gene pool so you don't know what you are getting. Usually they counter with "I'll make sure I tell people" and my response is "yeah, but will they tell people when they get rid of it or breed it"

I will never understand people's obsession with doing this.
They want something different. They want something no one else has or they want to be the first to create something. I don't care for it myself but I get why they do it. I don't like any of the ball python morphs either but its similar in a way. I realize that morphs are the same species and its not hybridization but a similar force drives those people. They want to be the first to create a new morph.
 
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chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
People just like to play God. Look at some of the weird things they've created through selective dog or cat breeding! And those are generally within the same species - but many of those fancy purebreds and "designer" breeds come with a lot of health problems because of all the tinkering.

It's like Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park: (They're) "...so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
 

schmiggle

Arachnoking
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,220
The spiders don't really care, and the offspring that survive won't really care.

I think it would be better if people kept extremely careful track of it, the way they do with plants. Most orchids, Nepenthes, lilies, Gladiolus, etc. in captivity are hybrids, and the gene pools for true species in captivity hasn't been muddied. This is partly because plants can be replicated through cuttings, but in fact stud books could conceivably be kept for anything. All of which is to say, this strikes me as more of a cultural problem than anything.

I would be unlikely to buy 'em, but I don't see anything inherently wrong with it as long as everyone keeps track of it. The problem, of course, is that they usually don't.
 
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