Question

3. Out on a hike one beautiful day, you see a very strange organism walking across the trail in front of you. It looks somewhat like a lizard, but has six legs, no tail, and red hair covering its back! You are excited, and certain that it is a new and undescribed species - but how would you test this hypothesis? A. Name and describe two (2) different species concepts that you might consider adopting in your attempt to determine if this animal is a member of a new, undescribed species. [2 points each) B. Describe and explain two (2) kinds of evidence that you could try to obtain to test your hypothesis (assuming unlimited resources of time and money!) (2 points each) c. Given your unlimited time and money, let's say you are inspired to travel to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., to look through their collections and see if you can find any other organisms, still living or extinct, like the one you have seen. In which major vertebrate group would you classify this organism, and what evidence would you use to do so? Explain and defend your decision. (2 points)