Critters

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The following are some critters that are awesome, placed in context in the tree of life. The root of this tree is the base of the clade Gnathostomata, which is, loosely speaking, bony vertebrates with jaws. No offense intended toward sharks and rays, which will be added when I get around to it. No apologies to lampreys and other jawless fishes, though, because I haven't forgiven lampreys (and other agnathans, by extension) for decimating the lake trout population of the Great Lakes.

My decision to include a particular critter on the awesome list is somewhat arbitrary. Some are included because they represent a particularly interesting leaf on the tree of life - species that have survived basically unchanged since Paleozoic time (sturgeon), for example. Others are there because they have some particularly interesting or unusual qualities (the monotremes). Others are on the list because I have some personal affinity for them (marmots) or because they are the charismatic representative of their ecosystem (loon, moose, and beaver). Finally, sometimes things are on the list just because one might look at such a creature and say "sweet."

[edit] Useful critter sites

[edit] Awesome critters and their places in the tree of life

  • Gnathostomata (beasties with jaws)
    • Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
      • Chondrostei (cartiliginous fish with some ossification)
      • Lepisosteiformes (gars)
        • Gar, Lepisosteus spp.
      • Teleostei (most living ray-finned fishes)
        • Salmonidae
          • Coregoninae (whitefish)
            • Inconnu (sheefish), Stenodus leucichtys
          • Thymallinae
          • Salmoninae
            • Salmo
            • Oncorhynchus
            • Salvelinus
        • Esocidae (pikes)
        • Acanthomorpha (spiny-rayed teleosts)
    • Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes and terrestrial vertebrates)
      • Coelecanth, Latimeria spp.
      • Tetrapods (critters with four limbs: amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds)
        • AMPHIBIA
          • Giant salamanders
        • Amniotes
          • Synapsids
          • REPTILIA
            • Anapsids
            • Diapsids
              • Archosaurs
                • Crurotarsi (crocodile-line archosaurs)
                  • Revueltosaurus callenderi (extinct)
                  • Parasuchia (Extinct phytosaurs)
                    • Pseudopalatus jablonskiae
                  • Crocodylia (Crocodiles)
                • Pterosauria (Extinct flying reptiles)
                  • Quetzalcoatlus
                • Dinosauria (Birds and extinct dinosaurs)
                  • Eoraptor (extinct)
                  • Herrerasaurs (extinct)
                  • Ornithischian dinosaurs (extinct)
                    • Stegasaurus
                    • Ankylosaurus
                  • Therapod dinosaurs
                    • Deinonychus
                    • Archaeopteryx
                    • AVES (Birds)
            • Sphenodon (tuatara), Sphenodon, spp.
            • Squamata (lizards and snakes) - just a list, not yet placed in the tree o' life on this page
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