• Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Can’t we just un-fish it like we do for other clades when we need to?

    “There’s an ape in the office!”

    “Yes, his name is Tom. More importantly, he is a human being, and we don’t refer to them as apes outside of an academic context and even then, only when necessary.”

    [Tom eats a banana, screams at an intern, and starts picking his nose]

      • Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I meant, can’t we just be more specific rather than use paraphyletic grouping?

        “What’s for dinner?”

        “Fish”

        “That could mean anything!”

        “You know I meant Actinopterygii.”

        “Still pretty broad.”

        “Oncorhynchus.”

        “You know how I feel about trout.”

        “Ugh. tshawytscha.”

        “Well, why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”