MetaChat - Photo Friday ADVANCE NOTICE: Non Mammals

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01 September 2010

Photo Friday ADVANCE NOTICE: Non Mammals Bugs, insects, spiders, fish, lizards, clams, invertebrates, molluscs and, um, pretty much any other living thing that is not a plant, does not have fur and does not bear live young. Creepy crawlies!

post by: mygothlaundry at: 12:36 | 19 comments

Axolotls!!!

posted by Senyar 01 September | 12:51

My photos of a platypus battling an owl over a clam will finally find their audience :)

posted by doctor_negative 01 September | 16:48

Platypusses are mammals: you'll have to photoshop 'em out, sorry. I don't make the rules...

posted by misteraitch 01 September | 17:16

No, no, platypuses are not mammals. I think they have their own order or something; I vaguely remember this lengthy argument I had one night at a bar. Platypuses are neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring.

posted by mygothlaundry 01 September | 18:32

Sorry, my mistake: I'm by no means an animalologist. And you did specifically mention 'does not bear live young' anyway.

I hope dr_negative's photos look a bit like this, only with the different animals.

posted by misteraitch 01 September | 18:57

wait, what? they are, aren't they? they're monotremes, which is one of the three types of mammals (placentals, marsupials, monotremes.)

Or has the classification changed?

posted by gaspode 01 September | 18:58

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
(Subclass Prototheria)
Order Monotremata

I am a huge nerd for cladistics.

posted by tortillathehun 01 September | 19:31

Damn, I was wrong. I think I was probably wrong at the bar, too. I still say they are not mammals, damme! They have beaks! No self respecting mammal has a beak.

posted by mygothlaundry 01 September | 19:48

Once I had to talk a friend out of the notion that birds were not animals. He was like, "They have feathers! They lay eggs! That means they! Are! NOT! ANIMALLLLLLS!!!"

Finally I asked if he might be talking about mammals.

"Oh right, yeah, mammals, that's what I meant!"

So you see you aren't alone; mammals are a confusing lot.

posted by Hugh Janus 01 September | 20:16

Platypus/i are mammals. Very, very weird mammals, with the beaks and eggs thing, but you know what, mammals invented weird and the platypus was right out there in front.

posted by BoringPostcards 01 September | 20:31

Hugh, I say this completely seriously: I think it's because "mammals" kinda sorta sounds like "animals". People get the words confused.

posted by gaspode 01 September | 20:48

Birds aren't mammals? Huh.

I've been noticing recently that I am way more willing to admit my ignorance now, in my 30s, then I was in my 20s. I don't know if this is good or bad.

posted by amro 01 September | 21:24

Mammals = mammaries = milk for babies. That's one way not to go too far wrong. Birds don't nurse.

posted by Miko 01 September | 21:46

Ah, that is helpful. I should have made that connection myself.

posted by amro 01 September | 21:47

If The Nursing Bird were a pub, I'd be a regular.

posted by Hugh Janus 01 September | 21:57

You said "creepy crawlies," so I'm assuming birds are out. *tears up photo of birds playing poker*

posted by tortillathehun 02 September | 03:56

Your !knowledge of biology depresses me.

posted by mcwetboy 02 September | 13:20

Birds can be "creepy". I have a new-found hatred for owls. And they are everywhere. Ugh, owls.

posted by youngergirl44 02 September | 16:37

Hehe, this is what I get when I want to do a photo friday that's bugs and lizards and fish and jellyfish and stuff like that yet find that I do not have the biological vocabulary to express myself. I bet we get some cool pictures tomorrow!

posted by mygothlaundry 02 September | 20:51

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