#selective breeding

[fyanimaldiversity]

If you ever wondered what the best living vertebrate is, it’s the alligator gar in my totally not biased 100% scientifically backed opinion. They are just a flawless creature. Nothing wrong with them. Good tooth to snoot ratio, they have a winning smile.

They and other monster fish absolutely should NOT be in the hands of most private keepers at all and I do NOT support morph breeding of them because of that, but pretty fishy cute :c

[hotwifeky1]

Alpha Males, Sperm competition, and Cuckoldry

(our kinks from an evolutionary biology perspective)

The phenomenon where males experience an increase in desire and fertility when observing their mate engaging with another partner, is often referred to as "sperm competition risk"

From an evolutionary biology perspective, this behavior can be understood through several theories:

Sperm Competition Risk:

Increased Ejaculate Volume: Males typically respond to the perceived risk of sperm competition by greatly increasing the volume of their ejaculate. This is thought to function as a form of displacement, increasing the chances of their sperm outcompeting that of potential rivals.

Increased Sexual Arousal and Fertility: 

When males perceive or observe their partner with another mate, particularly when chance of sperm competition exist (other males trying to fertilize the same egg), this triggers an adaptive response in the form of greatly increased sexual arousal, desire and fertility. This is thought to be an adaptation to compete effectively in situations where multiple males are vying for the opportunity to father offspring. 

Potential benefits

From an evolutionary perspective, the heightened desire, arousal, focus, and drive provide a large competitive advantage. If there's a chance of sperm competition, being sexually impassioned increases the likelihood of the observing male's sperm fertilizing the egg. The continuous denial of sexual interaction further amplifies these benefits. By maintaining a state of heightened desire without immediate release, the observing male sustains an elevated level of reproductive readiness. This prolonged state of arousal becomes an advantageous strategy, potentially increasing the male's chances of success not only in reproduction but also in various aspects of everyday life. The surplus of energy, focus, and drive may contribute to success across different domains, aligning with the overarching goal of evolutionary fitness.

Cuckoldry Detection and Response:

Adaptive Jealousy: 

Evolutionary psychology suggests that males who exhibit jealousy and distress over potential infidelity may have had a reproductive advantage. 

This emotional response acts as a mechanism to deter a mate from engaging with other males, reducing the risk of cuckoldry. 

The cuckold male may also gather information by observing the mating behaviors of potential rivals. This is thought to be an adaptive strategy to understand the competition and adjust his own behaviors accordingly.

Paternal Investment: 

In species where males invest significantly in parenting, there is an evolved response to protect their paternal investment. The greatly Increased arousal along with increased romantic and sexual interest in response to perceived mate infidelity is a strategy to safeguard resources and parental care for their own genetic offspring.

The alpha male typically refers to a dominant and high-status male in a social group. The alpha male generally has preferential access to mates and reproductive opportunities.

Alpha Male Cuckoldry reproductive strategy:

Within the context of cuckoldry, the alpha male strategically reserves exclusive access to mates. Cuckoldry occurs when the non-dominant male knowingly or unknowingly raises offspring that do not carry his genetic material. 

This reproductive strategy is advantageous for the both the alpha male and his mate, allowing him to pass on his own genes while minimizing resource-intensive parental duties. The female benefits by mating with a genetically superior male while sharing parental responsibilities with the non-dominant male.

By ensuring that the non-dominant male invests in raising offspring that carry the alpha male's genetic legacy, this reproductive approach aligns with the collective goal of the female and alpha male, maximizing his reproductive success within the social structure. The alpha male's dominance and preferential access to mates become central elements in shaping the dynamics of cuckoldry as an evolutionary strategy.

Often, the non-dominant male, in his role, finds personal satisfaction in having his sexual and reproductive desires denied as he plays a crucial part in perpetuating the genetic lineage of the dominant alpha male rather than his own.

[maangosprout]

TBH lore

[pensarecool2]

Its crazy how people who think it is ok to breed snakes that will be born with severe health problems is ok because pretty colors will whip out the “what about dogs” defense. Like yes??? No animals should be bred if you know that they will be born with health problems. If selective breeding results in an animal that is pretty/cute but its fucked up physically or mentally, then fucking stop breeding that goddamn animal regardless of if it is a snake or a dog or whatever.

Also fuck people who compare animals like pugs or spider ball pythons to people with autism. People with autism do not live their lives in pain as a default and were not selectively bred like wtf.

[acti-veg]

Is there any hope that we might be able to reverse the harmful genetics modification on farm animals and reintroduced them to the wild again

Most of the species we exploit were never wild in the first place; they were bred from wild animals a long time ago but they’re now a wholly separate species that does not have any real place in wild ecosystems. We could breed out negative traits and bring a chicken closer to a red jungle fowl, for example, but the resulting animal would not be a red jungle fowl.

These animals could conceivably occupy an ecological niche left vacant by an extinct or dwindling species, but that is more ecosystem engineering than returning an animal to the wild who used to be there. It may be desirable to breed out the traits theat cause health issues and let animals like cows and chickens exist in sanctuaries in vastly reduced numbers, as a sort of conservation project, but that’s about as much as we could realistically hope for.

[void-of-unparalled-chaos]

Why are English Pouter pigeons Like That? I know scientifically its because they got screwed over by humans selective breeding like Pugs but why? The poor things look like if Sid from Toy Story took a pigeon, strapped barbie legs onto it, and then made it swallow a balloon. How is this beneficial in any way?

[noovorous]

Having recently picked up a habit of favouring my tea with orange or lemon zest and as a consequence being annoyed at how little zest there is on a single fruit I now completely understand the purpose for which Buddha's Hand was bred. This is a fruit cultivated for its zest, it is maximum zest in zest, maximalization of surface area in relation to volume, this beloved cthulhu shaped fruit.

[marblecakemix]

Honestly. Most men are so ugly. Like it's the disturbing ugly. This is why we need to get back to selective breeding and do the same thing as Sweden!

[snobgoblin]

you know?

[fyanimaldiversity]

In case anyone was wondering about my wonderful worm, here is 7 month old vs the now approximately 2 year old Poptart the palmetto corn snake ! Her colors have developed so intensely, she no longer is a tiny pink worm, and contrary to what I was told about the morph she did definitely gain spots, and spots that she initially had have grown in size as well!

[padded-daydreams]

it's funny how you said that pugs are abominations because they kinda are. But what about chihuahuas?-🌟

Chihuahuas have less health problems and also probably shouldn’t exist, but pugs are much, much worse.

Pugs have been bred so that they are born unable to breathe properly. Their tails are deformed. Their eyes are prone to just falling out. They are ugly creatures who live their shortened lives in pain. Movies like Men In Black which featured a pug made them popular and more pugs have been bred (I don’t blame the movie, but any movie featuring an animal will have this effect, like Finding Nemo made kids want pet fish). When pugs are fitted with breathing tubes for surgery (which is common because they ar prone to organ failure), they don’t want them off. Unlike other dogs, who hate breathing tubes and find them painful, pugs are the opposite of desperate to rip them off. Its because they have a squashed face, and are unable to even get enough oxygen. There are programs to try and breed pugs back into a reasonable existence where they are more like actual dogs, instead of the inbred creatures they are. All of this is because the features of pugs were arbitrarily decided cute.

Pugs are not the only dogs which have been ruined through the selective breeding of humans, but they are one of the worst examples.

There are similar issues in other pets. Reptiles can be selectively bred to contain different colorations referred to as “morphs.” The hobby is huge, with countless breeders dedicating decades to achieving unique animals. Ever seen a photo of a solid black gecko? Or a snake with smiley faces? Those aren’t always photoshop. Sometimes, photos are uploaded with filters, but the most part, it is real. On websites like Morph Market, breeders can list reptiles for sale. If you sort by rare or expensive morphs, you can see these animals.

I’m most familiar with ball pythons. I have one as a pet and have done the most research on them over other pets. Ball pythons have hundreds, maybe even thousands of different morphs which have been selectively bred. Most of them are fine, great even. Countless beautiful snakes are out there with vibrant colors and patters. Unfortunately, certain morphs are linked to certain traits. For a harmless example, ‘banana’ morph (also known as ‘coral glow’) ball pythons tend to be male. Unfortunately, certain colorations which have been selectively bred over time are linked to various health defects and neurological issues.

The most common and well-known example is the ‘spider’ morph. The ‘spider’ morph is associated with a pretty spiderweb pattern, and one of the worst neurological issues. This problem (commonly referred to as a ‘wobble’) is linked to the gene that causes the pattern. Among other things, this results in a snake that cannot tell up from down. This results in the snake struggling to eat, and in some cases biting itself. Spiders are some of the most popular snakes with such defects due to their color. They sell, so they continue to be bred. Morphs containing ‘spider’ (as in, the when two snakes are cross bred to result in new morphs) are often names various ‘bug’ names (usually ‘bee’ is somewhere in there). Breeders will point to certain crosses or even individual snakes whose ‘head wobble’ is less severe, or even crosses the which seem almost fine as a reason why this morph should continue to be bred and sold. It should not and has even been banned from some reptile conventions. Some pretty patterns are not worth continuing to breed an animal which should not exist and is prone to moving backwards, upside down, and quite literally trying to eat itself. The snakes already exist, and I don’t see an issue in having a rescue as a pet, but breeders need to just stop bringing more into the world.

Spider ball pythons, pugs, even glow-in-the-dark goldfish. So many animals which should have never existed continue to exist due to selective breeding, capitalism and the barely-regulated supply and demand of pets. I’m not against selective breeding, but at some point there has to be a line.

This is not even getting into people who defend breeding spider ball pythons by comparing them to autistic people simply being allowed exist in this world and also to have children.

[covenawhite66]

Throughout the domestication process of wheat, the plant phenotype has undergone changes, such as the weakening of the rachis, the increase in seed size, and the reduction or disappearance of the awns.

Today Wheat is the world's most important crop in terms of food security, but EU data warn that the impact of climate change could significantly increase its price and modify its production process in certain areas of the world.

Archeological and historical records show that wheat spikes were predominantly awned across many millennia after domestication, while small awns or awnless spikes were common during the last millennium.

[allosaurusrock]

Blaziken is a cool looking bird. This is an older photo of him. I have a LOT of drafts. He’s shaping up nicely at the moment and is a strong contender for being a future breeder.

[minervatheslime]

Simply amazing how many things come from a single plant.

[spaceshipsandpurpledrank]

Woke Babysitter pt 36