return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research  
click here for Rodent Pro
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Milk Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Nov 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Nov 17, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Nov 19, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - Nov 22, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Nov 23, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Nov 23, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Tucson Herpetological Society Meeting - Nov 25, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Dec 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Dec 05, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Dec 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 

RE: Thank goodness for phylogenetics

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Venomous Reptiles ]

Posted by: LarryF at Tue Mar 7 19:45:13 2006   [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by LarryF ]  
   

>>I might a possibly would get the same answer or might think to myself these are in the middle of an evolutional change from viper-elapid or vice-versa.

While physical descriptions have been used (almost exclusively until recently) to classify animals into taxonomic groups the whole point of animal taxonomy is to put them into a "tree" desribing the path by which they evolved from the first living organism.

Even if the death adder eveloved to a point where DNA analysis was the only was to distinguish it from a puff adder, it would still be an elapid, just one that looks exactly like a puff adder. It's appearance does not change it's lineage...


   

[ Show Entire Thread ]


>> Next Message:  RE: Thank goodness for phylogenetics - wshsmark, Wed Mar 8 18:20:25 2006

<< Previous Message:  RE: Thank goodness for phylogenetics - wshsmark, Mon Mar 6 19:09:23 2006