Quote Originally Posted by Stefan-A View Post
Yeah, let's just cross all garter species while we're at it. It doesn't matter anyway, since they all occasionally do it in the wild.
Well, I wouldn't say they all do it. I mean, a Puget and a Florida Blue Stripe would never have the chance to mate in the wild since they both have relatively isolated habitats. But, if you ask me the chance of picking up a Florida Blue Stripe without some Sirtalis in its lineage is kinda low. I imagine the same thing has happened to the wild Tetras in the US.

I don't know if it is an instinct to bring in new genetics or just chance, but it seems like when wild animals are put in a small, fragmented habitat with a small gene pool, you start to see a lot of intergrades popping up. I'd be really surprised if this hasn't happened to the wild US Tetras already. There aren't many, and they share a home range with other species they could easily breed with. Just as an example, NC is home to the last wild population of Red Wolves. There are less than 200, and they are isolated in a swamp wildlife reserve in Manteo. Only problem is, since there aren't many of them, the bloodlines are getting quickly diluted due to coyote crossbreeding. Same thing happens among quite a few amphibian species as well. I just wonder if crossbreeding among the Tetras is the natural next step for a compromised population..