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Re: I just checked my atlas...


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Posted by dewey on January 26, 2003 at 22:55:56:

In Reply to: I just checked my atlas... posted by A.Naha on January 26, 2003 at 17:12:54:

:and it turns out that Canada is part of North America. Seriously though the renaming and classifing of the rat snakes isn't because the evovled and changed from when they were first named but because new evidence seems to point out that they aren't quite as closely related to the species we once thought they were. It is strickly a name change, the black rat you find in Ohio now is the same black rat you would have found in 1492, if Columbus would have come to Ohio.

:Andy


thanks for the geography update. I assumed all would understand that what I was getting at is that if you are saying that the black I find in Ohio is different than the one I find in Pennsylvania, then surely one from another country would have to be different....even if the distance between them is only 20 miles.
By all means, I am not trying to offend anyone, but what I do want to stress is that there is variation amongst black rats no matter where you go. Just because you have variation does not mean they are different species or subspecies. The black rat in Ohio is the same as the black rat in Ohio in 1492, but the black rat in PA is the same as the black rat in Ohio also...they just may look slightly different....(keeping in mind that natural integrades are obviously different and not part of this discussion). The blacks I get from Ohio are the same as the ones from PA, and they are the same as the ones in Canada. A black rat is a black rat. I know this is a reptile forum, but consider this example anyway. North American Black Bears (Ursus americanus).
"The black bear's name is deceptive. It is a species name and does not refer to their color. They can range from pure black to cinnamon to blonde. We have a blonde bear at Bear Country; we call her Marilyn Monroe, who will be on display when she matures. Black bears in the East are nearly black, while those in the West are black to cinnamon with a white blaze on their chest. The black bears in Alaska can have a blue or white color phase to blend with their snowy surroundings." (Bear Country USA).
According to this, the black bear should have a few different names based on its lacality, but it doesn't. It is understood that a species will vary slightly with it locale, but that doesn't mean it needs a new name or classification. But if it is in fact necessary to rename species based on their locale, then we as herpers have a lot of work to do since there are thousands of different species of reptiles and amphibians, not to mention the subspecies that will need to be renamed also.
Just sometihng to think about.



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