Re: Sauropodz r kewl WAS: silly conversation on 2012 US presidential race

[tyazbeck@comcast.net]

But the system can be set up to be easier or more simple to navigate. A lot of 
genus names can be confusing. One of the Linnean system's main benefits is 
having ranks which illustrate the magnitude or size of a grouping. But yes, it 
is mainly taste.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Keesey" <keesey@gmail.com>
To: "Dinosaur Mailing List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2012 8:02:15 PM
Subject: Re: Sauropodz r kewl WAS: silly conversation on 2012 US presidential 
race

On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 5:00 PM,  <tyazbeck@comcast.net> wrote:
> I disagree with that. For one thing, many hadrosaurs and ceratopids are 
> easily considered different species of one genus. Look at any other fossil 
> vertebrate group, and you will see UNQUESTIONED MEGA-GENERA like *Hyaenadon*, 
> *Dimetrodon*, etc. As you can tell, I am proud to be a lumper. I think many 
> ornithischian genera can be sunk into wider, easier groupings. But it's a 
> case-by-case situation. More time needed for this one.

Lumping vs. splitting, when it comes to genera, is a matter of taste,
not science. There is no such thing as a "genus" in nature.

-- 
T. Michael Keesey
http://tmkeesey.net/