this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
129 points (94.5% liked)
Mildly Interesting
17572 readers
321 users here now
This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.
This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?
Just post some stuff and don't spam.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
In theory: yes, most likely. In practice? No.
Genetically the cross is theoretically possible. The difference in size of the individuals, especially the reproductive organs creates a barrier that prevents crossing.
If the differences had been created via natural selection not artificial selection, a great Dane and Chihuahua would likely be listed as different species or subspecies for the same reasons.
Dogs would be a good example for ring species, which show the outer limits of the species definition, if they they occurred in the wild in their many diverse forms. But since they are not, I’d group them as one species still, as their origin is artificial and so are, at least partly, their means of reproduction.