[Taxacom] Catastrophic loss

[Richard Jensen]

Tony Reese wrote:

>>(1) "Koala bear-like animal with carnivorous teeth" - no bear references
>>PLEASE!! Koalas are koalas, pure and simple, and about as far away
>>(phylogenetically) from bears as you can get and still be a mammal.

Oh no! Gone is "Teddy Bear"; so to the "Australian silver oak"; no more
"seahorses"; extinction of "lady bugs"; disappearance of "butterfly weed";?

I was not aware that Koala bear was a name of confusion, based on illusion,
or simply allusion. Do we really believe such names can deceive? Or can we
forebear, with little despair, that names we all know, from quite long ago,
need not agree with phylogeny?

Cheers,

Dick
-- 
Richard Jensen, Professor Emeritus
Department of Biology
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556