A question that might have been answered? @_@

[Jasae Bushae]

Greetings! I stumbled upon this ages back and its been bugging me incessantly! I was wondering if it was ever answered
http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_903.php

The question basically being: how would the offspring between a biped and a quadraped work out.
She said in the comic she would answer it when the shock wore out but with the lack of a follow up question i was wondering if she had at some point covered it in a news update or in the forum and if so, did anyone recall the answer?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

http://missmab.com/Demo/HG02.php maybe?

[Jasae Bushae]

That doesn't really count since cubis born from a cubi and non cubi parent genetically speaking simply take the properties of the non cubi in the relationship and become cubis when they hit puberty ^^;
So dans bipedalness isnt an issue in his and matildas love child so much as the fact that hes a cubi

Which brings me back to my question. How would it work if a bipedal and a quadraped had a kiddie and the whole cubi thing wasnt in the equation?

[Lisky]

If we go by real life genetics, it depends on whether or not the trait is recessive or dominant... If quadrupedal is dominant, assuming both are pure-species, and compatible, genetically, then the resulting child would always be quadrupedal.  If the quadrupedal trait is recessive, and we go by the same previous assumption, then the resulting child will always be bipedal. 

I could go on, but beyond that point, things get far more murky, and difficult to describe.

[Suwako]

In actual nature, as in human nature certain features are more 'potent' than others, by which I mean that often some features are dominant in genetics. Children of a family often have all the dominant features of their parents, this said it is not always the case, however it often is. So by going by this logic it would result in either a bipedal or a quad-pedal.

Underdeveloped limbs are of course an option, however genetically seen it might be an unfavourable one, even to the parent. Really viewing this topic at all with analysis and logic is silly anyway, it is a fantasy world and Amber decides whats what in it. In actual live there are no quad-pedal animals that are known to produce offspring with humans due to being too different genetically.  

inshort;  The child in all likelihood would take whatever feature is dominant instead of forming truly 'mutant' limbs.

[Jasae Bushae]

yush i know how normal genetics work in that sense though its hard to imagine whether quadrapedal or bipedal could necesarily could be considered dominant or not traits

and yush i know its silly to over analyze it but i was curious if Amber had her own answer to this since she in this world is the last say
like that whole 'can shapeshifters have babies' debate that she finally weighed in on and gave a clear no

and since that was such a long time ago I was wondering if she had answered it in the forums and if so, if anyone was here to remember it

[Amber Williams]

I tend to go by the general rules of artist genetics:  It would work out to whatever I thought looked better when I was drawing it.

[Bjalf]

I tend to go by the general rules of artist genetics:  It would work out to whatever I thought looked better when I was drawing it.

So, your pencil is a dominant trait?

[Suwako]

I tend to go by the general rules of artist genetics:  It would work out to whatever I thought looked better when I was drawing it.

So, your pencil is a dominant trait?

Obviously. Or perhaps Amberination?

[Prof B Hunnydew]

In RL science.

This question would be like asking If a Great Dane and Chihuahua can have puppies.  It would be Pure magic if the male-great dane and the female  chihuahua  were even able mate naturally.  And the other way might work if the little guy can work fast while the Great Dane bitch is  her ass laughing at him.

PBH

[Jasae Bushae]

Woo! i got an answer! pencil genetics andamberination are the answer!

and i actually saw such a mix once i think ^^; it was a midget sized great dane and i swear the only one ive seen like it since

[AmigaDragon]

inshort;  The child in all likelihood would take whatever feature is dominant instead of forming truly 'mutant' limbs.

Or considering fantasy settings, you might even end up with a 'taur.

[Suwako]

inshort;  The child in all likelihood would take whatever feature is dominant instead of forming truly 'mutant' limbs.

Or considering fantasy settings, you might even end up with a 'taur.

Perhaps, though it normal genetics that would make absolutely no sense.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Or considering fantasy settings, you might even end up with a 'taur.

Perhaps, though it normal genetics that would make absolutely no sense.

Six limbs are not in the normal genetics code for Earth... but a taur could make sense on physics side.  So long as the weight and heights are near horse ranges.

PBH

[Suwako]

Six limbs are not in the normal genetics code for Earth... but a taur could make sense on physics side.  So long as the weight and heights are near horse ranges.

PBH

But seeing as the torso is lengthened with additional bones wouldn't it account for additional weight? Of course one could supposable use hollow bones but still, a traditional set of limbs/muscles and everything would still count to more weight than the neck and ( whatever the section is called ) of a horse. Seeing as hands are tool carriers it would mean that the species would at least have use for these limbs and therefore would have developed a larger brain, which costs additional energy, seeing as 6 limbs themselves account for more energy as well one could gather that a creature with so many appendages would require a lot of food for energy. Later on in an established society the limbs and size of the creature might also be unnecessary, since they are more stationary and non-migrative  would having additional limbs for walking faster be very useful?

I think too much. 6 limbs would indeed be handy for faster travel but beside that; it seems that species as intelligent as we do not require speedy travel as far as I have seen, and a species that doesn't have much brainpower would not have need for additional grabbing limbs, I think.

of course, I am thinking out of earthen circumstances and do not account for the possibility for a creature to live on a planet where the gravity is lower and therefore there are larger prey to prey on. However, it could be just scaled up, which would mean that the 6 limbed creature would be relatively small compared to the others? Ugh.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

God and Goddess  How do I get into these messes....

Okay, I believe that some dual system would be develop in a Taur creature, but you wouldn't need everything twice...just two pairs of lung, two hearts and even a human stomach could help the equine torso to provide the energy to extra limbs.  Small intestines for meats/proteins.     High brain develop need a high protein diet, and high grain diet would to be passed on to the equine half.  The problem is that the small human mouth would require long grazing periods, and with small high protein snack throughout the day.  A grassland/forest environments could supply the need calories per day, if the herd move constantly over a large area.  The centaur creature would make more sense for a development of nomadic tribes,  but with advances in farming and grain production would make roaming tribes not as necessary, but if you evolve into the centaur, you can't lose your extra limbs so easily.

PBH

[Naldru]

There are many times that I have seen an animated gif in this forum that had a text that read something like "Every time you try to use science to explain a fantasy world, a cat girl dies."  When I see topics like this, I wish that that was in the list of smileys.  I actually worked out some cogent and appropriate arguments on this topic, but then found my computer saying "I'm sorry I can't let you do that Dave."  Which is curious since my name isn't Dave.

At which point I remembered who Dave was and what happened to him, and decided to attend this topic nevermore.

[Anker Steadfast]

Pencil Genetics is hereby the official answer to those questions.

As for the "would this or that require too much food/energy to work", there's a simple answer:

Magic!

[Scow2]

Eh... the human mouth is large enough to feed the quadrupedal stomach of a taur... Anyone heard of Italian food?

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Pencil Genetics is hereby the official answer to those questions.

As for the "would this or that require too much food/energy to work", there's a simple answer:

Magic!

Really? 

Magic is a shortcut.. You need not go there first...anything is possible with enough time, and determination, and energy.  Look at the pyramids.... Enough people, and enough time. builded them over the desert.

PBH

[Mao]

I think, in terms of the story, magic is a perfectly good explanation simply because this isn't relevant to the plot.  It's not really something you're going to encounter.  It's not something that really effects any of the characters directly (some might argue Dan and Matilda, but we've been told no one gets any) so it's really just kind of waving around theories of a magical world in an attempt to show that you can out logic/debate one another.  Besides, it's already been explained that the reason it would work out that way is because the artist decided it was so.  What more do you need?

[Turnsky]

Narrative Causality: Things happen because the plot says they should.

that's what it all boils down to.

[Amber Williams]

I realize some people have a very "nails to chalkboard" reaction to the concept that magic is the answer to a situation.  I suppose it's been slowly ingrained that "a wizard did it" is just an excuse for laziness.

But magic IS an integral part of the DMFA world.  It isn't just a minor element in the storyline, it is an essential part of the comic.  And it does influence a lot of the elements in the world as it acts as a randomizer and allows for the bending of rules when in a normal world the majority of things happening wouldn't happen.  

While I'm sure with a lot of time and flowcharts and graphs and math, I could try to half-ass some logical reasoning behind why this does that and whatnot...it defeats the point of everything and it would strangle the comic I feel.  

[Turnsky]

While I'm sure with a lot of time and flowcharts and graphs and math, I could try to half-ass some logical reasoning behind why this does that and whatnot...it defeats the point of everything and it would strangle the comic I feel.  

i'm fairly certain that with the majority of your readerbase, puppets would suffice. 

[Jasae Bushae]

puppets make everything better ^^

[Anker Steadfast]

Puppets .. and Mows.

[Scow2]

Well... for those who really want to debate and analyze the way things work... we can put Functional Magic into the equation... Magic can do anything, just like computers. The fun part is arguing and analyzing what magical processes are required to seamlessly merge the offspring of species that are genetically compatible but physically vastly different.

[Michael Chandra]

Magic can do anything, just like computers.

So then you are hypothesizing that Mab is Turing-Complete?

[Anker Steadfast]

More like the turing test blew up when she offered it cookies.

[Mao]

I like how a reason is given and then people try to reshape that reason into something that suits their idea better.