h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Specious" as we commonly invoke the term means something superficially plausible, but actually wrong, a thing deceptive which can appear misleadingly attractive.

All of which might be said to apply to many of the answers which may or may not spring nimbly to mind in answer to this quiet interesting query.

"Amongst mammals, which groups are the most 'speci-ous' as in containing the most number of differently identifiable species?"

Google is forbidden.

There are klaxons, of course, so be bold, preferably interesting but never obvious.


Good luck.

Now this is a thread that I started over on the noesis fourm during the recent transfer of h2g2 to the new home away from The Beeb.

So in summary form here are all the relevant bits from that thread....


- What I'm after is a set of species names (ranked 1 - 3 ) , so if it instead of mammals it were a fish I was after, then I'd accept answers like "cod" , and no need for any binomial classification either, common names will do.

- It isn't Marsupials.

- Hygienic Dispenser - 5 for "bears"

- it's not moles.

- Vip - 5 for "dogs"

- The Thinker gets a DGI +1 for "squirrels"

- Dr Anthea got a correct answer with "bats" - ranked #2nd in the list - +3 points for them!

- it's not lemurs

The Thinker - homes in on the #1 ranked group "Rodents!" +3 for them.

------------------------

So

#1 Rodents
#2 Bats
#3 ???

All still to play for!

My immediate thought would be bears, as there are the old bears, like Grizzlies, Brown, Kodiak etc,

Plus Pandas

then, I'm sure there is a lesser known sub-species that I'd need to check the reference books to answer, but surely that's the same as google, so I won't...

MMF

Bears has already gone as a klaxon.

Are bats not technically rodents? (Sp. Rodentii)

No they are not rodents, this is a common misconception so don't feel bad. In many languages bats are called 'flying mice' (as in German and Opera - "Die Fledermaus") but while mice *are* rodents, bats are from the order Chiroptera translated loosely as "hand-wing" - apt as they are the only mammals that have evolved to sustain true flight, other similar adaptations are gliders.

Natty little critters and Quite Interesting.

Well I should apologise to the people in that pub quiz with me a few years ago....

My next guess would be aquatic mammals, being dolphins, spermacetae or toothed whales, and baleen whales, but that doesn't seem right either.

So I'll go with Monkeys, and not apes, being both New and Old World.... Final answer!!!

MMF

The group of mammals with hooves, and if i have to choose, cloven.

There just seems to be an awful lot of them around on every continent in all shapes and sizes.

nope, land-based.

Did you say monkeys?

Here comes the loud noise!

MMF -5

cloven hoofs - have a DGI +1 - that group includes these but the taxonomy is a little bit complicated here, I'll settle for names still just to make it simple.

pigs?

(I was thinking of all the deer types that browse and graze)

Sorry, I can't have it both ways can I

So, either pigs, theres a word for them, the family of them all
Or antelope and deer which also includes the big bulky types like wildebeest

hmmm

It seems antelope and deer; that was my first guess
But, now my gut is telling me PIGS!!!

PIGS!!

So I hit the trip-wire again? Nice to know normal service has been resumed.

If it's cloven feet, I'd be inclined towards the as he gets everywhere, after all the is in the detail.

But ungulates spring to mind, however how they are differentiated is tricky.

There are:

Ovine, of sheep.
Bovine, of cows.
Cervine, of deer
Porcine, of pigs
Caprine, of goats.

I'd stick my neck out, again, and go for deer, although goat are nagging the back of my head.

Nope. Deer!

MMF

Primates?

Ignore that... I missed the post where cloven hooves were given a point.

>>ungulates spring to mind, however how they are differentiated is tricky.

There are:

Ovine, of sheep.
Bovine, of cows.
Cervine, of deer
Porcine, of pigs
Caprine, of goats.<<



You missed one but have a DGI +1 for effort.

>>antelope and deer; that was my first guess<<

Antelopes are it! Well done +3.

I call halt to this QI thread while I run the numbers.

Which did I miss? Musteline?

Oh! Wait. Did I mention Murine? Aren't they rats?



MMF