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Posted by Terry Cox on October 11, 2002 at 18:53:39:
In Reply to: Re: Hey, DT, I'm back.... posted by goyotle on October 11, 2002 at 11:53:37:
:Relative to your 1st paragraph, I think this is called genetic drift, no?
I'm not sure what genetic drift is, but I've always figured the Elaphe originated in s.e. Asia from ancestors that may have been common to many different genera. Then they spread across all of Laurasia. Later, in cooler times, the primitive stock gave rise to the North American ratsnakes, and possibly the Lampropeltines and Pituophines. The North American genera may seem more closely related because they have evolved more recently. That doesn't discount the history they have with the Old World Elaphe, however. I'm not sure what accounts for the fact that the North American genera can produce fertile hybrids.
