#taxonomy polls

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

we need a poll for a monophyletic definition of "bug"

it can be anything from "any animal is a bug" to "only hemipterans are bugs" :p

(if you're taking suggestions, then animalia, protostomia, ecdysozoa, panarthropoda, arthropoda, hexapoda, insecta, pterygota, hemiptera)

See, I want to do that poll, especially bc I know I've been very vert-centric (sue me, my training is in vert paleo); but I know I've already seen that poll outside of palaeoblr???

[thechekhov]

I've just had a very trying time in the comments section and I need to know.

[plant-taxonomy-showdown]

Phylum Final Round!

For the Phylum Level Champion!

Reminder: This is the final PHYLUM round. Winner goes on to classes!

Magnoliophyta (aka angiosperms, flowering plants): A large, diverse phylum with over 300,000 known species. Two of the more well-known sub-divisions are monocots (including grains, onion-like plants, and irises and lilies) and eudicots (including most leafy trees, a wide variety of flowers such as sunflowers and roses, and many food plants from coffee to cabbages.)

Bryophyta (aka mosses): Small but mighty, and among the most ancient of land plants. 95% of all moss species are in the class Bryopsida, while Sphagnopsida contains the bog-loving peat mosses.

[horseimagebarn]

horsethoughtbarn 2 favorite

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Arthropoda - Cephalocarida

(Sources - 1, 2, 3)

Cephalocarida is a class of crustaceans commonly referred to as “Horseshoe Shrimp.” There is only one known family, Hutchinsoniellidae, with 12 living species.

Both the larvae and adults are found on the sea floor, feeding on marine detritus. They are small, with an elongated, pigmentless body 2 to 4 mm in length. They have a large head, the hind edge covering the first thoracic segment. They have two pairs of antennae, with the second pair located behind the mouth. The mouth is covered by a large upper lip and flanked by a pair of mandibles. The first pair of maxillae are very small, but the second pair is similar to a pair of legs, a possible holdover from primitive arthropod ancestors. Neither the adults nor the nauplius larvae have eyes. The thorax consists of 9 limb-bearing segments, followed by 10 limbless abdominal segments and a telson. Cephalocaridans are hermaphroditic, and carry their eggs with them. Mating has yet to be observed.

Fossils of cephalocaridans have been dated to the Late Cambrian.

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament Round 2: Invertebrates

Chordate Bracket

[inspired-lesson-plans]

If you voted, please provide your reason in the tags. I want to know who is thinking the same way I am thinking. If you disagree, then I would like to see if you can dissuade me.

You may research primates here.

[fiishboowl]

My last one got some attention and I accidentally only set it for a short time frame so here is BUG POLL 2!!!!!!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

further explanation on the ammonite thing: there's an ethnic group FREQUENTLY mentioned in the Torah called the Ammonites and Max and I will never stop picturing them as just, floating-in-midair extaint sapient Ammonites that constantly get into conflict with the Israelites,

[etchif]

HAHAHAA OKAYY

[plant-taxonomy-showdown]

Bonus Round 1/Semi-finals: Rosids vs Basal Eudicots

Apples of Discord vs Sacred Lotus

Rosids: The romantic clade. Do you want not only a dozen roses, but also a nice glass of wine and some strawberries dipped in chocolate to go with them? Of course you do. Vote Rosids. (And yes, this is also the cannabis clade, so light up/grab your edibles.)

Basal Eudicots: Here be funky flowers: the sacred lotus, poppies, the king protea of South Africa and the waratah of Australia. Also, macademia nuts.

(What's a eudicot? The class that won the previous round. More info here. Many taxonomic categories can be divided up into "basal" and "core" members, the basal ones splitting off the evolutionary tree relatively early on, while the core ones have a more recent common ancestor.)

[tenmillionthfirefly]

Reblog for a larger sample size!

[tysonfurybattlepass]

option one asserts that clouded leopards are true big cats because they are included within the pantherinae subfamily.

option two asserts that clouded leopards are stem big cats, meaning that they are most closely related to big cats, but are not themselves true big cats because they are outside of the panthera genus.

option three asserts that “big cat” is only a descriptive term, not a taxonomically defined one. this means that any cat species, including those outside of the pantherinae subfamily, can be referred to as big cats if they are physically large enough to qualify as megafauna. clouded leopards, reaching a maximum of around 50-70lbs, are thus not big cats. but pumas, which can reach up to 200lbs, are big cats, despite placing in the felinae (“little cat”) subfamily.