Pony "genes"

[BrightIdea]

Fun topic!  If we are going by Friendship is Magic, I would say earth ponies have dominant genes, and pegs and unis have recessive genes. So, a unicorn couple would only have unicorn babies, a pegasus couple would have pegasi babies, and earth ponies could have any race, depending on which genes the parents gave and their ancestry.


Wouldn't it be tragic if a pegasus couple had a unicorn or earth baby, and it fell through the clouds of Cloud City?  I hope that's not possible!

[creampuf]

Wouldn't it be tragic if a pegasus couple had a unicorn or earth baby, and it fell through the clouds of Cloud City?  I hope that's not possible!

Okay just scared me.... o.0

[Filthy]

I think you might enjoy this a great deal! Someone on DA who is awesome made an illustration explaining pony genes: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=biology+is+magic#/d4mifq4

I would like to add to their speculation about unipegs that I think it's an incomplete autosomal dominant mutation.

[Elisto]

I've seen that illustration before...the idea's OK, but their diagram of alleles on the double helix is wrong. Each allele is on a separate piece of DNA, not on one half of one piece.

Haha, so basically, if you wanted to fill an island with ponies, all you need to do is place one female pony there and they'll fill the island with their lcones? Like a komodo dragon. Interesting theory but it does make sense as there are "clone babies" in G1.

Well, that's how aphids reproduce on a plant! I actually have been working on pony taxonomy/phylogeny just because I thought it'd be amusing. Not sure when it will be finished though.

FiM's genetics I haven't thought about except that given the explanation the Cakes gave for having a unicorn and pegasus baby, I'm pretty sure they're not Mr. Cake's at all...

Also, dominant and recessive genes have nothing to do with how much the trait benefits the individual, but how the genes are expressed, which can in part be determined by how common the trail is.

[Rachel-Eyes]

I like the FiM implication of unicism and pegasism being recessive. The reason all of Rarity's family, for example, are unicorns is similar to the Weasleys in Harry Potter all having red hair.

Maybe I'm just thinking about the unrepresented ponies, but what I want to know is if it would be possible for an earth/peg/uni to mate with a SEA PONY and have OFFSPRING by it. Obviously, the sea ponies mostly keep to themselves since they can't really survive out of water, but maybe a unicorn goes to the beach and things get out of hand? I don't like to think of Sea Ponies as completely different species, just a differently-coded pony in terms of genetics. Could the unicorn give birth to a sea pony that ends up suffocating because it can't breathe? Or vice-verse where the sea pony gives birth to a unicorn that drowns? Sea unicorn? Sea pegasus? Would a sea earth pony have a cutie mark?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Maybe I'm just thinking about the unrepresented ponies, but what I want to know is if it would be possible for an earth/peg/uni to mate with a SEA PONY and have OFFSPRING by it. Obviously, the sea ponies mostly keep to themselves since they can't really survive out of water, but maybe a unicorn goes to the beach and things get out of hand?

I simply cannot stop laughing at this... "things get out of hand".  NOT that I want to know, but...  *snickergiggles*

[rybett]

Unicism and pegasism?  Love it!!! 
Wouldn't an alicorn be a possiblity from a union between a pegasus and a unicorn? 
DD creates "families" of mom/baby/sisters based either on names/colors/types of cutie marks. 
I get a kick out of the Insta-families on E-bay.  Genius! 

[Rachel-Eyes]

Unicism and pegasism?  Love it!!! 
Wouldn't an alicorn be a possiblity from a union between a pegasus and a unicorn? 
DD creates "families" of mom/baby/sisters based either on names/colors/types of cutie marks. 
I get a kick out of the Insta-families on E-bay.  Genius! 

I think alicism would be a condition that would be genetic in the same way that calico patterns are in cats. That wouldn't explain males like the prince having it, but it would explain why they're ultra rare.

[rybett]

Now I'm lost.  Shining Armor?  Thought he was Uni.

[Rachel-Eyes]

Now I'm lost.  Shining Armor?  Thought he was Uni.

No, I can't remember his name, but he was brother to Celestia and Luna. Rarity had a crush on him and tried to get to know him at the Gala, but he ended up being too snooty. Isn't Shining Armor the new toy that's coming out? That's a unicorn.

[Filthy]

Unicism and pegasism?  Love it!!! 
Wouldn't an alicorn be a possiblity from a union between a pegasus and a unicorn? 
DD creates "families" of mom/baby/sisters based either on names/colors/types of cutie marks. 
I get a kick out of the Insta-families on E-bay.  Genius! 

I think alicism would be a condition that would be genetic in the same way that calico patterns are in cats. That wouldn't explain males like the prince having it, but it would explain why they're ultra rare.

You mean it would be sex linked like red color in cats? So tortoiseshell (black+red) cats would be like unipegs in ponies?

[Rachel-Eyes]

Something like that... I'm not sure how the calico gene works as I'm not a scientist... and I've never owned a cat. But it IS possible for calicos to be male, isn't it? Just extremely extremely rare because it's somehow linked to the sex?

[Filthy]

Something like that... I'm not sure how the calico gene works as I'm not a scientist... and I've never owned a cat. But it IS possible for calicos to be male, isn't it? Just extremely extremely rare because it's somehow linked to the sex?

Yes, calico/tortie can be a male but it's quite rare. It can be caused by 2 different things but that's quite hard to explain in english. The red color is linked to X chromosome (females are XX and males normally XY, tortie males sometimes XXY).

[Rachel-Eyes]

That's right. It's been a long time since high school science class. =p