| Right MikM, exactly right.
This is a multi-level conversation, The reality of genetics and what body types actually do exist out there- the 'hump', the torpedo, the short food fish body, the longer matsunosuke body etc.
Then there is the conversation about ideal male vs female body shape
And THEN the conversation about the breeder's standard of 'body' verses the judges standard of conformation ( as an expanded analysis beyond just body).
I mentioned , on another 'channel' the concept of atavism. It is not politically correct to use this concept any more but it is still very much a real scientific principle in animal genetics. Bacically in koi we have two genes that battle one another over color and other traits. The 'wild gene' or atavistic gene, battles other inbred genes for domination. In this case, reversion to the wild state and wild color. In the battle, the modifying gene which is also known as the white ground spreading gene is kept at bay by the atavistic gene. Neither of these is a color gene but rather genes that encourage or discourage color gene presence. Chagoi is a fish dominated by the atavistic gene. Ochiba for instance is a fish that had some modifying gene present in an otherwise wild type or solid type pattern.
As far as the body goes- we often use the 'orientation' of improvement to describe how refined and advanced a koi line has become. In truth, in the eyes of Mother Nature, this is a weakening of her creation and a sort of dead end. 'She' instead, favors a larger more diverse gene pool and has given these koi many atavistic traits- including size and strength. We all know that inbreeding weakens and decreases vigor and health in individuals. Our best koi are often our weakest koi. No surprise there.
JR |