I’m asking this same question in the Zoology Section of Science & Mathematics.
I’ve heard of fish hybrids; striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white bass (Morone chrysops). I know they do it at the hatcheries. How about different species? Let’s say a bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) and a redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)? Or a bluegill sunfish and a black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)? Or a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and a smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui)?
How about an Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) and the Red-Bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)? Would this combonation be possible at all? How?
In a laboratory or hatchery perhaps.
I’ve heard of people making offspring of lions and tigers mixed, why would this not be possible with fish of relatively similar characteristics?
Also I could care less whether or not they were sterile hybrids.
Why would you want to do that anyways just go fishing and enjoy the fish Jesus Christ has already created. Just a thought.
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I am no zoology specialist, but the bluegill & green sunfish, bluegill & shellcracker, and the white crappie & black crappie are just some f the species that are able to do that in the WILD. I have caught all of those, and the record crappie could not be put in record books, because it was a black crappie & white crappie hybrid.
Here’s the record hybrid crappie – http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.walleyeheaven.com/crappie.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.walleyeheaven.com/world-record-crappie.htm&usg=__G7AT_kYCyNPR92fTtQho_0_CKMQ=&h=245&w=425&sz=66&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=KdCWVDYKC6WDKM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drecord%2Bcrappie%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
Hybrid bream – http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thejump.net/id/more-fish/hybrid-sunfish.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thejump.net/id/hybrid-sunfish.htm&usg=__1GnX0-lt1byWG-04qKhFBK69CNQ=&h=299&w=400&sz=18&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=zb8_ljS3fn-54M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbluegill%2Bsunfish%2Bhybrid%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1
Here is what people think are a bluegill-largemouth bass hybrid – http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.alvintung.com/blog/wp-content/gallery/largemouth-bluegill-hybrid/largemouth-bluegill-hybrid1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.alvintung.com/blog/%3Fp%3D16&usg=__f1PvrFqDdahRjweWRK0HErdPRHA=&h=270&w=337&sz=44&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=KWOguixutuwSWM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhybrid%2Blargemouth%2Bbass%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1
I am guessing that the Small & Largemouth cannot have their DNA switched, but it may be possible.
Hope i helped ya out.
Researching on Google.
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I know for a fact that the Spotted Bass and the Smallmouth Bass have spawned together to make a hybrid that they call a “Meanmouth”…from what I hear and have read that thing is a aggressive, fighting, and growing machine…
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/InNews/meanmouth2004.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/winnercomm/outdoors/bassmaster/i/P2_bm_0312_SC_meanmouth.jpg
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26p%3Dmeanmouth%2Bbass%2Bpicture&w=325&h=241&imgurl=www.outdoorcentral.com%2Fmc%2Fpr%2F03%2F10%2F14a13.jpg&size=64.1kB&name=14a13.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outdoorcentral.com%2Fmc%2Fpr%2F03%2F10%2F14a1.asp&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outdoorcentral.com%2Fmc%2Fpr%2F03%2F10%2F14a1.asp&p=meanmouth+bass&type=jpeg&no=2&tt=6&oid=3e0d1f7975062826&tit=14a13.jpg&sigr=11i7epucb&sigi=11cmf8sa8&sigb=120nb72tj
PS that’s not me in the picture…lol
Fishes A Lot
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BTW, Striped Bass and White Bass ARE different species within the same genus. You can successfully cross two different species if they are closely related enough to interbreed. I don’t know how homogeneous freshwater fish are. In the plant kingdom, Orchids, for instance, there are many genera that will easily interbreed. The animal kingdom seems to be less homogeneous, but most of the fish you described are, at least, within the same genera. I don’t know if inter generic breeding is possible with fish.
If successful, they would not be considered a new species. They would be considered hybrids. If you kept your breeding program up long enough and understood enough genetics to stabilize the gene pool so successive generations bred true, then you could produce something that could be considered a separate species, but I think it would still be considered a hybrid from a biological standpoint.
Fishes A Lot
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You want to mix the oscar and the piranha? That would be a fish worth seeing. I have an oscar as a pet named Astro but never thought about him with TEETH. He’s big enough, I can imagine how much more damage he could to to a crawdad!
16″ and 3lbs ~ 2oz!
What would you call it? Hellfish?? Lmao!
To answer your question, I have no idea. I catch fish, not make them lol
Fishes A Lot
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