Suppose for a moment that the domesticated dog was extinct. Suppose also
that the incredible diversity of the species canis familiaris existed in
the distant past long before the appearance of man--extinct before the
first hominids walked the planet. Now what would modern scientists
conclude about the fossilized remains of the species? Would they be
grouped into the single species which they are? or would they be
grouped into a family of related species? or would every diverse form
be considered a unique species?
What this does is raise questions about the way in which modern
scientists classify animal species. I ask the question of an ignorant
skeptic, "How do they know a given animal belongs to a unique species
and is not simply a variation of another?" Would scientists really
conclude that the fossilized remains of a Yorkshire Terrier belonged to
the same species as the remains of a Russian Wolfhound?
Russ
Russell T. Cannon
rcannon@usa.net