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

I want to introduce you to the term Adaptive radiation - this is where a group of animals expands to fill all evolutionary niches, and therein within these groups natural selection can speciate a vast array of variety. Rodents are a diverse and high populated group that includes all mice, rats, squirrels, gerbils, porcupines, beavers, chipmunks, guinea pigs, and voles. Amongst bats the variety is huge: there are 1,240 bat species worldwide, which represent about twenty percent of all classified mammal species but specifically it is the manifold variation of the ears that are so fundamental to echolocation and different frequency collection that really push the bat into the hi-species category. Amongst antelopes it's the horns, all of which are useful traits for distinguishing a potential mate from someone with whom you don't share the right sets of chromosomes.
Antelopes ia bit of a cheat becuase it is basically a non-clade paraphyletic. group for every ungulate that *isn't* a cow sheep , deer, pig or goat.

Modern gentics indicates the closets living relative to the Hippopotamus (another even-toed ungulate) for instance is The Whale and that too is excluded.

The broader Clade which organise the taxonomy by the genetic relationship representing the evolutionary ancestry covers both the antelopes and dolphins and Whales is Cetartiodactyla.


So it's a chance to appear in a David Attenborough Documentary for our pair of successful breeders, Thinker and Oxygen on a furry and fluffy +4 each.

A display case in The Natural History Museum for Anthea secure at number 2 with +3.

A chance see nature red in tooth and claw to feel the breeze and smell the piquant odour of Hippo across The Serengeti for this intrepid explorer of strange and quite interesting lands for it is I, your humble QI Researcher coming in third with +2.

But appearing soon on the dissection table of Channel 4's Inside Natures Giants - it's a pair of Elephant's gonads, HD and Vip on -5 each.

QI - A bit Specious
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Correct (+3)
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Dr Anthea - "Bats"
The Thinker - "Rodents"
Oxygen = "Antelopes"


QI Bonus (+6)
------------------------

None Awarded


DGI Bonus (+1)
------------------------
The Thinker - "Squirrels"
Oxygen - "cloven hooves"
MMF - "Ungulates"
MMF - "Dolphins, Whales etc."


Klaxon (-5)
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Hygienic Dispenser - "Bears"
Vip - "dogs"
MMF - "Monkeys"


Elf Bonus (+2)
------------------------
Clive




Total to be added or subtracted.
------------------------
Thinker +4
Oxygen +4
Anthea +3
Clive +2
MMF - 3
Hygienic Dispenser -5
Vip -5

Clive.

I only just found this thread - it had really rocketed down my convo list. It seems to be very noisy round here at the moment for some reason.

Clive, thank you for those points but I don't think i deserve all of them.

My final decision was for pigs.

I should have gone with my first feeling but I didn't.

Maybe a new scoring catagory for not going with one's first thought? minus of course

I say quite interesting, Clive!

Would you happen to know the difference between antelopes and deer?
I don't and would like to know

http://www.answers.com/topic/antelope
I saw some pronghorn at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. They are what pass for antelope in America. the true antelope are more usually found in the plains of Africa.
Deer are also known as stags and are much more common in the US. Each year the government gives permission to shoot a large portion of the herd and the meat (Venison) makes its way to processing stations and then to the freezers of the hunters. It rarely ever shows up in the grocery stores or meat markets.
One big difference between antelope and deer are the antlers. Deer, like elk, grow large many pronged antlers and hunters prize the ones with the biggest racks.

It's quite alright 02, scoring is up to the elf but in accordance with the scoring guidelines.

You were the first to say antelope even if you then insisted on changing your mind to pig at my discretion I awarded you points for being the first.

Surely only male deer are known as stag?

I can't remember what a female deer is called. If only there were some mnemonic or song to help...

B

{lower c} doe, a deer, a female deer

doe, an antelope, a female antelope
just doesn't scan the same

Interesting side note- one webpage said since american bison do not have branched horns they could be considered antelope. gives new meaning to the song
O give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play