FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post - Beardie science experiment (hypothetical)

08-22-2005, 01:49 PM

How's this for an idea.......homegrown natural selection! I know, it's kind of far out and beyond the means of most breeders but it's fun to think about the possibilities.

My idea would consist of this:

A large fenced in area, something the dragons could not get out of.
A few hundred unrelated hatchlings, juvies, and adults.
Plenty of natural plants and an environment that they can live in year round.
Proper soil for them to burrow into.
A steady supply of food being introduced into the enclosures to allow plenty to thrive despite the somewhat limited food offered in a small area (a few acres is still small compared to them being able to roam freely over miles of terrain). By steady supply of food I mean some to supplement what's there, not a massive amount like what a captive animal would get. Enough to balance out the small area and still allow survival of the fittest.

The idea behind this of course is that breeders have consistently bred the pretty dragons over the strongest, largest dragons. Now all of us say we are going to only breed the largest dragons, over such and such grams, etc but we all know we aren't going to do that every time. If something came out fire engine red we'd all be breeding it as soon as possible, even if it was 50g short of our target. Then of course this keeps happening and the lines are getting smaller and weaker. Over time of course the worry is that the lines will be ruined to the point that keeping animals alive will be harder than we've ever imagined. Backyard breeders are further deteriorating the lines as well by often breeding with no concepts of genetics and no concern for the animals except that they produce a profit for them.

Now what I'd hope would happen would be that the bigger, stronger dragons would get to mate the females. The smaller animals would be picked of by preds or not get enough to eat. Now this sounds cruel but this is what happens in Australia, this is how nature selects the breeders and why species continue on and in some cases improve over time rather than deteriorate.

What do you think? Cool idea? Do you think we'd see a dramatic change in the animals that are there after a decade or so? Do you think something like this would allow us to create nice strong dragons to outcross with the current color lines?

08-22-2005, 01:49 PM	#1
DragonCharm	Beardie science experiment (hypothetical) How's this for an idea.......homegrown natural selection! I know, it's kind of far out and beyond the means of most breeders but it's fun to think about the possibilities. My idea would consist of this: A large fenced in area, something the dragons could not get out of. A few hundred unrelated hatchlings, juvies, and adults. Plenty of natural plants and an environment that they can live in year round. Proper soil for them to burrow into. A steady supply of food being introduced into the enclosures to allow plenty to thrive despite the somewhat limited food offered in a small area (a few acres is still small compared to them being able to roam freely over miles of terrain). By steady supply of food I mean some to supplement what's there, not a massive amount like what a captive animal would get. Enough to balance out the small area and still allow survival of the fittest. The idea behind this of course is that breeders have consistently bred the pretty dragons over the strongest, largest dragons. Now all of us say we are going to only breed the largest dragons, over such and such grams, etc but we all know we aren't going to do that every time. If something came out fire engine red we'd all be breeding it as soon as possible, even if it was 50g short of our target. Then of course this keeps happening and the lines are getting smaller and weaker. Over time of course the worry is that the lines will be ruined to the point that keeping animals alive will be harder than we've ever imagined. Backyard breeders are further deteriorating the lines as well by often breeding with no concepts of genetics and no concern for the animals except that they produce a profit for them. Now what I'd hope would happen would be that the bigger, stronger dragons would get to mate the females. The smaller animals would be picked of by preds or not get enough to eat. Now this sounds cruel but this is what happens in Australia, this is how nature selects the breeders and why species continue on and in some cases improve over time rather than deteriorate. What do you think? Cool idea? Do you think we'd see a dramatic change in the animals that are there after a decade or so? Do you think something like this would allow us to create nice strong dragons to outcross with the current color lines?