Some More About Changes

As you all may know, I have been working on my checklist. I am still trying to reach that 5000 species goal. I have just over 1800 more species to go. The 5000 mark is my "half-way" point. I set my goal to a shorter route. Once I reach that goal, I will then set my ambitions to reach a goal of 10,000 species of mammals for the Metazoic. I've enlarged some families in the process, and added a couple of new families as well. I am mostly working on the rat and mouse family (until I reach a higher number of species than is recognized today), the bats (namely pteropods), and any trelatebrates because they are a group specific to the after era. But I have also been changing some of the names. For instance, now I have renamed the bushbabies. Originally I was going to go with the genus Galago. But I figured since this is a different era and a different family, I should go with a whole new genus for these little animals. Actually, I have them separated into 2 new genera. They are Nyx and Alectrona. In the process I managed to add many more species of bushbabies. Some even evolve to become active during the day, like their closest relatives.

I've also added some more common names for some of the animals that have gone unnamed for so long. Like I didn't want to call Megaloceromys a "rat". Even though it is closely related. To me, a rat is always going to be a small animal that scampers around in the shadows. That's why I refuse to call lions, tigers and leopards "cats". Because to me, the word "cat" only refers to a small animal that says meow. I always call the larger felines "panthers". Always did, most likely always will. So I wanted to give such rats as Anatomys, Megaloceromys, and Ceratomys different common names, instead of calling them "rats". Ceratomys is now called the jarchars. Megaloceromys is now the akital. Anatomys is now the tanzavar. Yes I know they are funny names. But it's better than using mutt-names IMO. Mutt-names are different when you are thinking of scientific names. I use them then myself. Or I never would have thought of Anatomys ("duck-rat"). But I like to be original when thinking of english names for my animals. Unless they are close kin and resembles what I've come to know their modern relatives as. Like in the case of the bushbabies. They don't change much in the Metazoic. Most are still small lemurs with big eyes and big ears and long tails that are active mostly at night. So, I kept the name "bushbabies", rather than change the name, because they are very closely related. Just in a different family. A family I like to call the "Metazoic extension of the Galigidae". I did that a lot in my project. I did it with the dog family. Known in the Metazoic as the Cynovulpidae. Some of the species I even still refer to as "dogs", even though they are not Canids, though very closely related.

I've even used some ideas submitted to me on here. I placed the "scamperers" on my list, they sounded like a great idea. I'm still thinking of this Deinognathid idea that was recently submitted. I am still not ready to put the new list up. I think I've done it enough for this period. So it will be a while. Maybe when I meet that 5000 species mark I will put up the new list.