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Re: BIG EARLY WHALES
Larry wrote:
>Ah yes, good point. But it fails to answer what is for me the real
>question -- why on earth is Basilosaurus called Basilosaurus if it
>was a mammal?
>
Because the person who named it thought it was a reptile, and the rules of
taxonomy say that the first legitimate name sticks, even if it looks rather
stupid in retrospect. It isn't the only false "Saurus"
-- Jeff Hecht