ATAYLOR@IBM.COM (Andrew Taylor) (07/30/87)
Penguins have been the topic of some discussion. I'd like to correct some some misconceptions. Penguins are not one species, currently they are classified into 18 species. Their inability to fly is not a deficiency. Their wings are merely adapted to a more dense medium, water. They are not the only flightless birds there are 40+ species of flightless birds (0.5% of all bird species). It is not certain penguins are birds. In the past it was believed that they were independently descended from the reptiles. It is possible fossils will be found which will cause this belief to rise again. Penguins may form a clear cut group (order) to ornithologists but people less expert could easily classify other birds of similar appearance and habits (e.g auks) into the same group. Unfortunately species are sometimes not clear cut either. When two populations are separated, then it can be difficult to decide whether they are 1 or 2 species. Biologists often merge or split species in new classifications. People living close to nature (e.g Amazon Indians) have "kinds" which mostly correspond to species. Most of us are content with kinds which lump together a number of species on the basis of superficial similarities. These kinds often differ from the classifications biologists make. Andrew Taylor