Nomenclature [Comic]

nomen

Ahhhh nomenclature, such an important thing! When talking about a species, it’s important to use the proper name.

rept

Reptiles are tetrapod animals in the class Reptilia, comprising today’s turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives. The study of these traditional reptile orders, historically combined with that of modern amphibians, is called herpetology.

Because some reptiles are more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles (e.g., crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards), the traditional groups of “reptiles” listed above do not together constitute a monophyletic grouping (or clade). For this reason, many modern scientists prefer to consider the birds part of Reptilia as well, thereby making Reptilia a monophyletic class. [Source]

[Source: Mr. Lovenstein Comics | Like “Mr. Lovenstein Comics” on Facebook | Follow “Mr. Lovenstein Comics” on Twitter]