Quote Originally Posted by Albert Clark View Post
First of all, how can you justify his comment about common sense when that certainly was directed to me and can easily be construed as offensive. What is inappropriate is his reference to "common sense" being the only way to qualify the differentiating factors in hybridization and how it relates to w/c individuals. If you feel that Eddies comment was a reasonable contribution to a educated question directed to clarify a perplexing issue I have to disagree. Confrontational? No. Just challenging Eddies response that to me, is not only inappropriate but its inadequate as it doesn't EXPLAIN any part of the original question. None of us know it all Steve that is why we ask questions. "Just continue to read" was preceded by my comment and my interpretation of his ( Eddies) less than helpful , poor , explanation of the hybridization of w/c's. How can the differentiating factors and any signs and or physical attributes of hybrids just be "common sense"? Come on, and your validating what he said?
First, I want to apologize to Eddie for speaking on his behalf and to Jeff for derailing his thread. Maybe I should have stayed out of it but I didn't.
Knowing the State(PA) this snake originated from is an important piece of evidence to the common sense response. PA has two native garter snakes T. s. sirtalis (Eastern garter snake) and Thamnophis brachystoma (Short-Headed Garter Snake) the latter being in very small isolated populations. The fact that the State is a hot bed for Eastern morphs over the years and that similar morphs like the "Granite" have been found there is important also. This by itself says a lot about the unlikelihood that the snake in question could a hybrid. There have been many hybrids posted to this page over the years and they all have one thing in common. They look like plain and simply a wash of the two snakes that produced them. Then I look at the experience and knowledge of the people responding to help put the evidence together.
With all of this I understand the common sense response and would have come to the same conclusion. I mean no offense in my response.