wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (08/03/84)
Don't worry about the sematics of fish, you can get into a whole range of problems if you do. Just remember, if it breaths air, it's a mammal, no matter what you name it in some area. The naming of fish is a VERY regional phenomena. Here along the Jersey Coast, we have a fish we call the Blackfish. Just 20 miles away on Long Island, the same fish is called the Tautog. There are dozens of similar differences all up and down the coast. The same problem exists for the West coast. A general rule of thumb is that a porpise is a mammal and a dolphin could be either a mammal, if that's what the locals call a porpise, or a fish, if that's what the locals call that flat headed, funny-looking fish. The Mahi-Mahi is a gill bearing fish which is commonly called a Dolphin by some people. Folks gave up eating Porpise in the S when folks found them to be so endearing. T. C. Wheeler