Re:Wise amphibia

[J.Young@xxxxxxxxx (Jeremy Young)]

>On Fri, 30 Jun 1995, Woody Wise wrote:
>
>> If birds are dinosaurs, can Man be considered in the same sense an
>> amphibian? (or as the songs says, "wouldn't you rather be a fish?)
>> --Woody Wise
>>
>
>"Amphibia" is a paraphyletic group.  But, mammals, reptiles (including
>birds), and extant amphibians can be considered as a monophyletic group
>(insert name you want to give this group here).  It doesn't make us any
>less human.  Birds are dinosaurs - or at least archosaurs - just like
>cats are mammals.  Birds are still birds.  Cats are still cats.

So the newt in my pond will have to disown its ancestors, and the fish it
surveys will be at least as badly off. Good cladistic science, lousy
classification.
-- Jeremy Young