Eli5 how a pine marten, mink, stoat, and weasel are different species, but Yao Ming and I are the same?

907 views

Not arguing that Yao Ming isn’t human. Just wondering how all these animals which are visually identical (come at me biologists) are different animals.

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because they are considered different species incapable of interbreeding due to geographical boundaries. While they may be able to interbreed when in the same containment, in the natural world they can’t because of a mountain range, ocean, or other physical boundaries. To even further complicate things, biologist who are looking to make a name for themselves are now reaching into the DNA to show that they are different species even when they do interbreed in nature.

You are viewing 1 out of 3 answers, click here to view all answers.