Re: Need clarifications on evolution and the use of "herp"

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Academic Forum ]

Posted by beth on July 22, 2002 at 11:38:23:

In Reply to: Need clarifications on evolution and the use of "herp" posted by Colchicine on May 31, 2002 at 14:57:36:

HEy. i just read your post about the debate about usuing the word HERP's to describs both reptiles and amphibians.
I dont know if you guys have resolved it...but i figured this would be intresting either way.

Ok well...this is from a text book "Hepetology" (2nd ed.) by George R. Zug, Laurie J. Vitt and Jananlee P. Caldwell. (Incase u feel like checking it out) AP publishers.

Anyhow...I quote (pg3-7)
"...reptiles and amphibians, two distict clades of vertebres. Both Clades arose within the Tetrapoda, a clade of bony fish appearing in the paleozoic area....one of the early divergent groups became the amphibians. ... In the Carboniferous, another divergent group of tetrapods, the anthracosaurs, appeared: they evolved modifications for propogation on land in the abscece of water...today this group is represented by the reptiles (including birds)...If amphibians and reptiles (collectively, Herps) are not each others closest relatives, why has Herpetology Continued to study these two groups as a single scientific persuit? In part Historical inertia- some would say tradition. In spite of basic and early dichotomy of these clades, many aspects of the lives and boilogy of reptiles and amphibians are complimentary and allow zoologists to study them together using similar techniques."

I'm not sure if that helps any...but by looking at the diagrams in this book, the Hierarchial Classification of Vertebrates. It shows that reptiles developed after amphibians and that there were many (not sure if they are still exsisting today..probably not) groups before it.

Well anyhow. Hope this helps. :")

Beth

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: HEy. i just read your post about the debate about usuing the word HERP's to describs both reptiles and amphibians. : I dont know if you guys have resolved it...but i figured this would be intresting either way. : Ok well...this is from a text book "Hepetology" (2nd ed.) by George R. Zug, Laurie J. Vitt and Jananlee P. Caldwell. (Incase u feel like checking it out) AP publishers. : Anyhow...I quote (pg3-7) : "...reptiles and amphibians, two distict clades of vertebres. Both Clades arose within the Tetrapoda, a clade of bony fish appearing in the paleozoic area....one of the early divergent groups became the amphibians. ... In the Carboniferous, another divergent group of tetrapods, the anthracosaurs, appeared: they evolved modifications for propogation on land in the abscece of water...today this group is represented by the reptiles (including birds)...If amphibians and reptiles (collectively, Herps) are not each others closest relatives, why has Herpetology Continued to study these two groups as a single scientific persuit? In part Historical inertia- some would say tradition. In spite of basic and early dichotomy of these clades, many aspects of the lives and boilogy of reptiles and amphibians are complimentary and allow zoologists to study them together using similar techniques." : I'm not sure if that helps any...but by looking at the diagrams in this book, the Hierarchial Classification of Vertebrates. It shows that reptiles developed after amphibians and that there were many (not sure if they are still exsisting today..probably not) groups before it. : : Well anyhow. Hope this helps. :") : Beth

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Academic Forum ]