Curated category
Paraphyletic groups
- FoxThe red fox (Vulpes vulpes) stands as the most widespread species, with about 47 recognized subspecies inhabiting every continent except Antarctica.
- ElephantSixty million years ago, the earliest members of Proboscidea emerged in Africa. Eritherium weighed around 10 kilograms and stood less than half a meter tall.
- DolphinThe transition from land to sea began approximately 49 million years ago when primitive cetaceans first entered the water.
- CrustaceanThe word crustacean comes from the Latin term crustacea, meaning those with shells or crusted ones. This name first appeared in early scientific works by…
- WolfIn 1758, the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published Systema Naturae and listed the wolf as Canis lupus. He classified the domestic dog as a separate…
- PteridophyteIn 1880, English speakers coined the term pteridophyte from Greek roots meaning feather and plant. These organisms are vascular plants with xylem and phloem…
- BryophyteA single moss plant in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, spreads across the forest floor without a single vein of lignin. Bryophytes lack true vascular tissue, meaning…
- AcanthodiiTiny rhomboid platelets covered the skin of Acanthodes, creating a texture unlike any modern fish. These scales formed a bulbous base and a flat…
- RabbitScientists moved rabbits from the order Rodentia into Lagomorpha in 1912. This change recognized that rabbits possess two extra incisors behind their front…
- AgnathaThe word Agnatha means no jaws, a simple description that hides a complex evolutionary story. Scientists classify this group as a paraphyletic infraphylum…
- IbisA long, downcurved bill defines the appearance of every ibis species alive today. These birds probe soft mud with that specialized beak to find crustaceans…
- ReptileIn the 13th century, a European writer named Beauvais recorded reptiles as a miscellany of egg-laying creatures. His Mirror of Nature listed snakes, lizards…
- WhaleFifty-four million years ago, a semi-aquatic ancestor branched off from other even-toed ungulates to begin the journey toward modern whales.
- WaspThe fossil record shows wasps first appearing in the Jurassic period, long before humans walked the earth. These ancient insects diversified into many…
- FishAbout 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion, fishlike animals with a notochord and eyes at the front of the body appeared in the fossil record.