ExTaxonomy-Answers

Answers to the Taxonomy exercise

Answers by: Rasmus Wernersson

Question 1:

a)

Quite a lot extinct groups are encountered along the way - this is marked by a small cross-shaped icon next to the group. Many of these groups do not have a page dedicated to them but are there for putting the taxonomical placement of modern groups into context.

A good example of an "important" extinct group which has a dedicated page is "Ichthyostega", which was one of the very first terrestrial vertebrates and had a lot of both "fish" and "reptile" characteristics.

b)

7 species:

• Felis bieti (Chinese mountain cat)
• Felis catus (domestic cat)
• Felis chaus (jungle cat)
• Felis manul (Pallas' cat)
• Felis margarita (sand cat)
• Felis nigripes (black-footed cat)
• Felis silvestris (wildcat)

Question 2:

a)

Sus — this make perfect sense, since this is the "Genus" level and the Latin name always consists of Genus + species: Sus scrofa.

b)

When we reach Artiodactyla (Danish: "Parrettåede hovdyr") other animals such as camels, cows and hippos are included.

c)

Artiodactyla (including the pigs) is the sister group to the Whales. The interesting finding here is that the Whales branches off in the middle of the mammalian tree — it's NOT an ancient branch after which the rest of the mammals evolved. The whale group is only about 55 million years "old".

A lot of further information on the whale page: http://tolweb.org/Cetacea/15977

Question 3:

a)

Of the three main dinosaur groups Theropoda is NOT marked as extinct.

b)

No - since extant ("still living") sub-groups exists.

c)

Yes — all birds are descendants from the theropod dinosaurs and are therefore dinosaurs in the taxonomical sense of the word.

Notice: The modern birds are a well defined taxonomical group (sharing a single common ancestor) which can easily be separated from the rest of the Dinosauria. The issue here is that it makes no sense to speak of Dinosauria without including the birds - and the same way it wouldn't make sense to speak of the mammals without including the pigs.

Question 4:

Taxonomy ID: 33208

Question 5:

Hominidae

Question 6:

For both the Abbreviated and Full list:

Euarchontoglires (rank: superorder) is the last common group before human and mouse branch off into primates and rodents.

Question 7:

For both the Abbreviated and Full list:

Metazoa — "animals" (kingdom).

Question 8:

a)

The sister group to the Zebrafish is the cod.

The sister group to the lungfish is the Coelacanth (famous "Blue fish").

b)

Now, the sister group to the lungfish is you!

c)

you

d)

you

e)

you

f)

No! See https://www.conservationmagazine.org/2009/11/science-vs-instinct/ and https://www.sciencealert.com/actually-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-fish-say-cladists

Question 9:

a)

Yes, there is a difference.

b)

Yes, the trees can be made identical by swapping the Coelacanth and the lungfish.