Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!husc6!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!uw-june!uw-entropy!felsenst
From: felsenst@entropy.ms.washington.edu (Joe Felsenstein)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Octopus....fish, reptile or what?
Message-ID: <623@entropy.ms.washington.edu>
Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 00:16:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: entropy.623
Posted: Tue Jul 14 00:16:53 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jul-87 03:39:54 EDT
References: <596@xn.LL.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: uw-entropy!uw-evolution!joe@uw-beaver.UUCP (Joe Felsenstein)
Distribution: world
Organization: UW Dept Genetics, Seattle
Lines: 13
Keywords: squid, scallop, clam, oyster, snail, slug, chiton
Summary: Mollusc!

In article <596@xn.LL.MIT.EDU> avi@XN.LL.MIT.EDU (Avi Weiss) writes:
>I was wondering whether an octopus is a fish or a reptile? Or prehaps
>some other class? Correct answers would be most appreciated!!

It's in the Phylum Mollusca, a relative of clams, snails, etc. Fish and
reptiles are in the Phylum Chordata together with us and a few others.
The correct plural of "octopus" in Greek is, I am told, "octopodes".

Now for the really interesting question: what is the butterfly: is it a
bird or a bat?   ;-)

Joe Felsenstein, Dept. of Genetics, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
... uw-beaver!uw-entropy!uw-evolution!joe