Quote Originally Posted by MarkS View Post
So, you think it's possible for a CALIFORNIA kingsnake to naturally cross with a FLORIDA cornsnake? Nice try... Sure, some integrades occur in nature, but it's not common or you wouldn't have the separate species in the first place and most of the hybrid crosses that are being created would be impossible in nature. Some of these artificial hybrids are from completely different continents. And comparing hybrids to naturally occurring mutations is a bull**** argument. The one thing has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. You're trying to compare apples to oranges.
No.. not in nature, they wouldn't. However by the simple fact that they CAN interbreed successfully, it tells me that they had a common ancestor.

Remember, 'species' is just a label people give to animals. A lot of animals in the same genus could be considered the same kind of animal.. and back in their history, they were the same animal. I don't see how it's unethical to crossbreed what are essentially localities of the same type of animal.. even if they belong to a different genus (it just means more diverse speciation has occured).