Page 138 - The Error of the Evolution of Species
P. 138
The Error of the Evolution
of Species
such as mice and squirrels belong to the class Rodentia, and
meat-eaters such as dogs and wolves belong to the class
Carnivora.
The next rank is the family. Mammals, for instance, com-
prise more than 100 families. Though cats and dogs both
belong to the class Carnivora, cats are members of the fam-
ily Felidae, and dogs of the family Canidae.
Genera consist of living groups that bear a close resem-
blance to one another, but which are not generally able to
crossbreed—dogs and foxes, for example, and different
genera within the family Canidae. Dogs belong to the genus
Canis, and foxes to the genus Vulpes.
The species is the basic unit in biological classification. A
species may be described as a community of individuals that
are able to reproduce among one another and share the
same functional characteristics. Breeds or varieties within
the same species typically have different scientific names.
For example, the red fox is known as Vulpes vulpes, the
desert fox as Vulpes zerda, and the long-eared fox as Vulpes
macrotis. If there are different groups or varieties within a
living species, each of these groups constitutes a different
sub-species.
Living things are described and classified by biologists
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