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0 pointschmod7755y ago0 comments

>You can also observe how easily different species interbreed today, like wolves (canis lupus, obligatory pack animals) and coyotes (canis latrans, solitary).

Their taxonomy predates the more modern biological classification systems though. Things have been reclassified before and I expect they will be again.

[A bit of a rant:] Any classification system that can't tell you something about the objects it classifies is objectively useless for anything but naming things. You might as well use a random name generator, draw lines in the sand in geometrically pleasing ways, and pretend it's a "system".

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thaumasiotes5y ago

> Any classification system that can't tell you something about the objects it classifies is objectively useless for anything but naming things

They are both canis, you know. The difference in species designation tells you very little because that's not a problem that can be solved. It's not an issue of misclassification. The specific designations latrans and lupus tell you a lot.

ithkuil5y ago

Canis is the genus. Even barring classification mistakes, cross-species breeding across genus is not impossible, it's just very less likely to produce viable and/or fertile offspring.

A classic example is the breeding between Equus Caballus (horse) and Equus Asinus (donkey): it works and you get a Mule.

The genetic difference between the horse and the donkey is non trivial, they even have a different number of chromosomes (64 vs 62). Since the offspring gets half of their chromosomes from the father and half from the mother, the mule gets an odd number of chromosomes (63) which clogs the gamete production machine and renders the animal sterile. (See https://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask225).

Now, dogs and wolves don't have that problem. Does it mean they are same species and that the classification was applied to eagerly?

throwanem5y ago

I mean, Canis dates to Linnaeus, so that it's paraphyletic should be the presumption.

ithkuil5y ago

what about Equus? that's also introduced by Linnaeus AFAIK; could you please explain what you mean; I'm actually a noob so please state things explicitly so I can understand things (I'm ok with looking specific things up, but it's harder to look up "between the lines" things)

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thaumasiotes5y ago

> Any classification system that can't tell you something about the objects it classifies is objectively useless for anything but naming things

ithkuil5y ago

Canis is the genus. Even barring classification mistakes, cross-species breeding across genus is not impossible, it's just very less likely to produce viable and/or fertile offspring.

A classic example is the breeding between Equus Caballus (horse) and Equus Asinus (donkey): it works and you get a Mule.

Now, dogs and wolves don't have that problem. Does it mean they are same species and that the classification was applied to eagerly?

throwanem5y ago

I mean, Canis dates to Linnaeus, so that it's paraphyletic should be the presumption.

ithkuil5y ago

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