Posted by:
SunHerp
at Tue Jan 31 17:27:51 2012 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by SunHerp ]
The cat analogy is factually incorrect.
The ICZN and the American Society of Mammalogists classify the Wild Cat (common names are useless) as Felis silvestris. There are numerous subspecies of the F. silvestris, including the African Wild Cat, F. s. lybica, from which ALL "pure" domestic cat are descended. The domestic house cat is known scientifically as Felis silvestris catus (if given subspecific status, a fading trend) or as F. s. "catus" (if simply designated as a domestic variety, a trend on the rise due to it's biological valididy). It cannot go without saying, though, that genetic pollution from feral "catus" is destroying (via genetic swamping) the unique populations native to Europe (F. s. silvestris), especially those isolated in pockets in the far north.
This is fact, supported by multiple lines of evidence, among the most convincing of which is genetic data. ----- _______________________
-Cole
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