Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Animals/Archive 9

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Full size

Regular thumbnail versions of possible images

19:55, 12 March 2014 (UTC)19:55, 12 March 2014 (UTC)Jim1138 (talk) 19:55, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

  • Honey badger
    Honey badger
  • if cropped
    if cropped
  • Red-eyed Tree Frog
    Red-eyed Tree Frog
  • Dalmatian
    Dalmatian
  • South African Fur Seal
    South African Fur Seal
  • Otter portrait
    Otter portrait
  • Penguins
    Penguins
  • Akhal-Teke stallion
    Akhal-Teke stallion
  • Fox
    Fox
  • Apodemus sylvaticus bosmuis
    Apodemus sylvaticus bosmuis
  • Slow Loris
    Slow Loris
  • Brown bear fishing
    Brown bear fishing
  • Kodiak bear
    Kodiak bear
  • White dove
    White dove
  • Caribou
    Caribou
  • Peacock, profile
    Peacock, profile
  • Wisent, if cropped
    Wisent, if cropped
  • Peacock
    Peacock
  • Peacock head
    Peacock head
  • Mandarin.duck
    Mandarin.duck
  • Otter swim under water
    Otter swim under water
  • Blue morpho butterfly
    Blue morpho butterfly
  • Mandarin duck II
    Mandarin duck II
  • Polar bear swimming
    Polar bear swimming
  • Ara
    Ara
  • Akhal-teke stallion II
    Akhal-teke stallion II
  • Bumble bee
    Bumble bee
  • Clown anemonefish
    Clown anemonefish
  • 3 dogs
    3 dogs
  • European Bee-eaters
    European Bee-eaters
  • Tibetan Mastiff
    Tibetan Mastiff
  • Green turtle
    Green turtle
  • Red Squirrel
    Red Squirrel
  • Marmot
    Marmot
  • Corals form the Great Barrier Reef
    Corals form the Great Barrier Reef
  • Peacock butterfly
    Peacock butterfly
  • James's Flamingo mating ritual
    James's Flamingo mating ritual
  • Green turtle II
    Green turtle II
  • Lionfish
    Lionfish
  • Bergamasco shepherd dog
    Bergamasco shepherd dog
  • Zebra I
    Zebra I
  • Panda
    Panda
  • Emperor Penguin
    Emperor Penguin
  • African Bush Elephant
    African Bush Elephant
  • Galago bush baby
    Galago bush baby
  • Bubo bubo Owl
    Bubo bubo Owl
  • Arabian horse
    Arabian horse
  • Springbok
    Springbok
  • Raccoon
    Raccoon
  • European hedgehog
    European hedgehog
  • Three Zebras
    Three Zebras
  • Swan
    Swan
  • Giant Grouper
    Giant Grouper
  • Zebra II
    Zebra II
  • Kissing Prairie dog
    Kissing Prairie dog
  • Mandarinfish
    Mandarinfish
  • Zebra III
    Zebra III
  • Common toad
  • Paradise fish
    Paradise fish
  • Koala
    Koala
  • Puffer fish -if cropped
    Puffer fish -if cropped
  • Red panda
    Red panda
  • White Stork
    White Stork
  • Impala
    Impala
  • Common clownfish
    Common clownfish
  • Brown Hare
    Brown Hare
  • Red deer I
    Red deer I
  • Ara red
    Ara red
  • Mole
    Mole
  • Carduelis tristis male
    Carduelis tristis male
  • Mudskipper
    Mudskipper
  • Rubber Duck
  • Cottontop Tamarin
    Cottontop Tamarin
  • :Hippopotamus
    :Hippopotamus
  • Squirrel
    Squirrel
  • Gorilla
    Gorilla
  • Common Kingfisher
    Common Kingfisher
  • Lemon Butterfly
    Lemon Butterfly
  • Basking shark
    Basking shark
  • Red deer II
    Red deer II
  • Swan II
    Swan II
  • Is an egg an animal?
    Is an egg an animal?
  • cow 1
    cow 1
  • cow 2
    cow 2
  • sheep 1
    sheep 1
  • sheep 2
    sheep 2
  • sheep 3
    sheep 3
  • hen 1
    hen 1
  • hen 2
    hen 2
  • Saluki is not seen as unclean
    Saluki is not seen as unclean
  • Saluki II

Image discussion

Thanks, Hafspajen! Great ideas! Now to select... one thing I would consider of #1 importance is simply that the image looks good at the very small size used by the portal template. For example, in the above images, I think the mouse or the bright red parrot would look good. Perhaps we could narrow down the above list to perhaps 10 images, then shrink those to the size they will be seen, from there discuss? Montanabw(talk) 18:31, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Yes, I agree - great selection! I think we also need to remember that the small size means the background should not be cluttered, and the long, thin orientation should be considered. With these in mind, of the selection above, I like the Fox, Mouse, and Mole.__DrChrissy (talk) 18:48, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
My, forgot to put captions on them... Might make discussion bit more to the point. Hafspajen (talk) 18:56, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Discussion Rotating images?

{{:::[/Very nosily butts in] As it looks like there are quite a few nice images to use on the Animals Portal, why not consider auto rotating them - a bit like Matty did with my archive box images? I think he does it on the Channel Islands Portal he set up as well? [closes door quietly behind me on the way back out].

SagaciousPhil - Chat
15:24, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

What is autorotate? Now there are quite a lot of nice pic I put at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Animals. Hafspajen (talk) 15:31, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
It was all the nice pics I saw on that nominees link that made me think of it. What I mean is the same trick that Matty used to make the images displayed in my talk page archive box change automatically between the five/six that I pick out. The Portal could have a selection of images that change.
SagaciousPhil - Chat
15:55, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Ah, NOW I understand what you mean. How many images can an autorotate rotate? Can it rotate, like multiple images? Hafspajen (talk) 15:59, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
It would just depend on how many it's set up for. As I say mine just rotates between five or six and I change the selection used every so often.
SagaciousPhil - Chat
16:11, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Now the tricky question is, can it rotate multiple images? But then one can make a collage too, no? Like Crisco could do some, and then we could rotate them. Splendid idea! Hafspajen (talk) 16:18, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Mmm. Can you make image collages rotate? Hafspajen (talk) 16:49, 8 March 2014 (UTC)}}
So now you go and chose and select, I did what I could, I go and relax now Hafspajen (talk) 20:30, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Also a nice image
Move this discussion from my page here, hope
Sagaciousphil, and Crisco 1492, it's OK. Hafspajen (talk
) 18:59, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Can we ping @Writ Keeper: to see if rotating these images is feasible for a portal image? And given the small size, is it desirable? We still need to narrow the selection down a bit. Montanabw(talk) 21:04, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


  • Just a matter of making a collage, uploading it, and using it as a standard image. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:10, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
  • May I move your comment to the hot spot? Hafspajen (talk) 23:11, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
  • The Portal Indonesia,
    Sagaciousphil has on her archive box rotating images. You go there, one image of a lovely lady. You go away and then you go back, another image this time. It changes all the time. Hafspajen (talk
    ) 23:05, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Matty would do that, I think. if we ask nicely. Please, Matty.007 - (ping)? Hafspajen (talk) 15:54, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
The teeny-tiny portal box is so small that it conveys almost no information - it is actually difficult to see it is a pig! If this image was to rotate on a regular basis, I feel this would be confusing for readers. If the image is larger, say parhaps on the portal page, then I think it's a great idea to show off several rotating wonderful pictures of animals. Just my thoughts. __DrChrissy (talk) 23:38, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
Where is that pig? Hafspajen (talk) 16:01, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
Give me a ping at the weekend and I'll have a look (it may end up a bit messy, it was a bit of trial and error with SagaciousPhil's). Thanks, Matty.007 16:51, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
Here is the pig__DrChrissy (talk) 19:24, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
WikiProject iconAnimals Project‑class
WikiProject iconWikiProject Animals/Archive 9 is within the scope of WikiProject Animals, an attempt to better organize information in articles related to animals and zoology. For more information, visit the project page.
ProjectThis page does not require a rating on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
WikiProject Animals To-do:


Here are some Open Tasks :
Oh my God. Hafspajen (talk) 19:36, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
It is tiny isn't it! How do we get the size increased...it really is not practical at the moment.__DrChrissy (talk) 00:41, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
.Matty will know how, I think. Hafspajen (talk) 01:19, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
I asked Mr Stradivarius about testing images and linking to a separate image so that a cropped could be used for the portal image. See Template talk:Portal#Testing images and link= Essentially nope and nope. May be difficult to have a rotating image? Jim1138 (talk) 05:12, 15 March 2014 (UTC)
.Well, user Matty.007 succeded once. Made some 5 images rotate on an archive box. (ping)Hafspajen (talk) 00:14, 16 March 2014 (UTC)?
OK, I am just taking a Wikibreak at the minute, but hopefully I will be able to start having a look this weekend or before. What pictures do you want? Thanks, Matty.007 20:29, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

Dear animal experts: This is a new submission at Afc. Is this a notable subject, and are the references reliable? —Anne Delong (talk) 16:39, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

It's a valid species, and not apparently duplicated by an existing article. Abdopus aculeatus is currently a circular redirect to Abdopus and never had original content. The references are reliable. Note: The article's Taxobox mistakenly lists the common name (algae octopus) as a synonym. The correct synonym is Octopus aculeatus, as the genus Abdopus was only proposed in 2001, per WoRMS. It's a bit surprising such an interesting species hasn't had an article yet, but aside from minor cleanup it's a good Start to C class article. --Animalparty-- (talk) 17:15, 17 March 2014 (UTC)
Okay, it is now at Abdopus aculeatus. Any biology-type fixes will need to be made by someone from this project, since I know nothing about it. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. —Anne Delong (talk) 20:34, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

Request for comments on Subterranean fauna, Troglofauna, and Stygofauna

There are currently three articles and a list regarding cave-dwelling animals:

Troglobite currently redirects). I'm not sure the concepts are necessarily distinct enough to warrant this separation: please see the discussion on Talk:Troglofauna. Cheers, --Animalparty-- (talk
) 20:45, 28 March 2014 (UTC)

Animal portal image issues

While I find the File:Sow with piglet.jpg quite cute, it seems that others do not. image edit history. I detest this type of action and don't like giving the impression of submission. But then, why go out of one's way to annoy and antagonize? Would it be possible to replace the image with another? Perhaps not so mammal-centric? Thanks Jim1138 (talk) 10:02, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Any photo chosen to represent "Animals" almost has to be arbitrary, so I'm fine with a change. If changing the photo to a non-taboo species will prevent (or at least minimize) future abuse, all the better. The reasons for repeated vandalism and/or objections should be discussed on the image's Talk page (which apparently has been deleted several times due to vandalism). To be honest, I've never noticed the photo (a tiny thumbnail on the Animal Portal button) until now. --Animalparty-- (talk) 17:25, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
I imagine it won't slow that type of thing down. Some seem to look for trouble. The sow pic choice could be construed a deliberate attempt to inflame. It took me awhile to figure out where all the links in the photo's use list went to and why moose would have that image on its page. A possible extended list of what to avoid: Unclean animal. Is there a way to randomly load one of a set of images? That could be fun. Jim1138 (talk) 18:33, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
I'd agree that the "unclean" animal issue is probably a dramafest to be avoided here. The image is cute, but seeing as how the project template shows an elephant, probably best to make the portal contain some cute fuzzy zoo animal too, maybe a panda or something. Montanabw(talk) 22:36, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
I can't figure out where the image is "living" and how to change it; seems a request has to be put in and it is done by an admin? Perhaps we could all agree on a new image and then make a request? Montanabw(talk) 00:47, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
I or another, can put in a request on
wp:bold tool-using species with remarkable intelligence. File:Honey badger.jpg or a crop of File:Prague ZOO - Mellivora capensis 3.jpg. Maybe stay away from mammals which have a tiny fraction of species? (forgot to sign) Jim1138 (talk
) 04:11, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

Technical advice moved here from my talk:

::Looks like it lives at Module:Portal/images/a. You'll need an admin or template editor to change it, but once y'all decide on a good replacement image, just have them change the line ["animals"] = "Sow with piglet.jpg", to whatever the name of the image is (minus the "File:", obviously). It's line 97 in the code. Writ Keeper  01:08, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Working with domestic animals, I thought it was great to see a picture of a pig. Having farm animals in such prominent positions reminds us that they ARE animals, and not just sources of food or fur. There are a zillion of possible nominees out there. Almost every animal has a cute and cuddly aspect which can be photographed, or some other interesting/eye catching feature. However, I would suggest that whatever animal is chosen, it is immediately recognisable INTERNATIONALLY (Honey badgers are damn cute, but perhaps not that recognizable). I quite like those extreme close-up images of cattle.__DrChrissy (talk) 18:38, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Would it be possible to quickly select a temporary animal mascot to resolve the original issue? Thanks Jim1138 (talk) 19:42, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

  • Just go for it. We will protest afterwards, but something will happen, no? Hafspajen (talk) 19:49, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
Done. See below Jim1138 (talk) 07:33, 13 March 2014 (UTC)

Nominees

Easier to park thumbs here, look for images that look good at small size! Noms so far have been moved in. Add your favs here! Montanabw(talk) 05:07, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

Remember, the portal image size is 32x20 pixels. I created a hidden scaled gallery of the same images. Jim1138 (talk) 19:55, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
That was really different at this size. It really leaves only a few pictures left. Weird how things can change, the ones I was not really believing in are clear and looking good, like the Caribou and Swan II and Akhal-teke stallion II. And the racoon and the butterfly is clear and visible at this size. Hafspajen (talk) 23:43, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
I am mistaken about the portal image size. I measured several all as 32x20 and assumed that was fixed. I found another that was 32x25. I have not found the code that defines the actual size. I resized the gallery to 32x25 which may not be correct either. Need to find the true size. Jim1138 (talk) 09:55, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
Not that it changed much, Jim. Looks quite small too me either way, and still....Hafspajen (talk) 09:57, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
Could change it to a 1x1 pixel image. Would simplify the discussion. Would reduce it to 224 possible images. Jim1138 (talk) 10:02, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
Should the portal image be an existing image used as-is or cropped? Show the entire animal or a portion such as the head, face, eye? It seems that many think of "animal" as a mammal. Should a non-mammal be selected to jog people's thinking. Given the tiny portal image, does this really matter? Jim1138 (talk) 09:55, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
What if Matty can fix a rotating image ? You can have like 5 images rotating. Than you can chose a bird, a fish, a butterfly, a mamal and turtle.. well different animals. Hafspajen (talk) 10:01, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
  • Scaled animals gallery
  • Honey badger
    Honey badger
  • Raccoon
    Raccoon
  • Blue morpho butterfly
    Blue morpho butterfly
  • Swan II
    Swan II
  • Caribou
    Caribou
  • Red-eyed Tree Frog
    Red-eyed Tree Frog
  • Akhal-Teke stallion
    Akhal-Teke stallion
  • Fox
    Fox
  • Brown bear fishing
    Brown bear fishing
  • White dove
    White dove
  • Wisent, if cropped
    Wisent, if cropped
  • Mandarin.duck
    Mandarin.duck
  • Otter swim under water
    Otter swim under water
  • Polar bear swimming
    Polar bear swimming
  • Akhal-teke stallion II
    Akhal-teke stallion II
  • Bumble bee
    Bumble bee
  • Clown anemonefish
    Clown anemonefish
  • European Bee-eaters
    European Bee-eaters
  • European hedgehog
    European hedgehog
  • Zebra II
    Zebra II
  • Paradise fish
    Paradise fish
  • Puffer fish -if cropped
    Puffer fish -if cropped
  • White Stork
    White Stork
  • Impala
    Impala
  • Ara red
    Ara red
  • Squirrel
    Squirrel
  • Common Kingfisher
    Common Kingfisher
  • Basking shark
    Basking shark
  • cow 2
    cow 2
  • sheep 1
    sheep 1
  • sheep 2
    sheep 2
  • sheep 3
    sheep 3
  • hen 1
    hen 1
  • pig 1
    pig 1
  • pig 2
    pig 2
  • pig 3
    pig 3

Temporary image change requested

See Template_talk:Portal#Image_edit_request_13_March_2014_-_portal:animals. Per @Hafspajen: above, image change request is File:CygneVaires.jpg. An alternative is File:Caribou_from_Wagon_Trails.jpg. This request is to speedily resolve the unclean animal issue. This can be readily changed again, presumably once consensus is reached. Thank you Jim1138 (talk) 07:31, 13 March 2014 (UTC)

The portal animal is now/currently this Caribou image: Jim1138 (talk) 08:38, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
We have to walk on our toes! Hafspajen (talk) 14:56, 15 March 2014 (UTC)
OMG! I have just seen the Unclean animal issue! I missed it before. Shouldn't the editor/s be treated like any other vandal? Is this issue a genuine one relating to images rather than eating or touching some animals. Whilst I approve of a speedy resolution for this current portal image, this issue needs to be resolved for the future or we will be allowing a precedent for future disruptive edits.__DrChrissy (talk) 21:17, 14 March 2014 (UTC)
The portal image thing was discussed about a month ago and we just now got around to changing it; I don't know when the pig showed up as the previous portal image, but it seemed reasonable to avoid controversy and change it. As for vandals, it seems that you can't change portal images now without going through the admins, so hope no future problems.
The vandalism issue was quickly resolved (more than once) with blocks and page protection. It took me awhile to figure out why that image was targeted as I was unaware of its use as the portal image. My concern is that some might believe we were deliberately using that image to insult, intimidate, antagonize, humiliate, etc. Jim1138 (talk) 05:01, 15 March 2014 (UTC)
If we use another farm animal, will it be vandalized by 1015? ;=) Jim1138 (talk) 05:06, 15 March 2014 (UTC)
Thanks for the explanation. But if the portal image is protected by admins, shouldn't that prevent vandalism if we were to choose a farm animal (I really would not suggest this just to be provocative - I stated my support for farm animals well before I knew this was an issue). By the way, the list of
Unclean animals is quite extensive and includes several of our suggested nominees such as Bats, Mice, Mole, Owl, Snail and Tortoise...although I suspect you have already seen this.__DrChrissy (talk
) 18:32, 15 March 2014 (UTC)
It was the Wikipedia image copy itself: File:Sow with piglet.jpg history. Edit summary: photo changed because previous one was totally disrespectful for this topic Not sure if it affected the portal image. The page protection expires Mar 21st. Also, just looked at the Commons image and found/removed vandalism (not apparently religious in nature). I imagine that appropriate protections would prevent any vandalism.
I am not familiar with the levels of "unclean". I would imagine, given history, that Genus Sus tops the list. I have one Pakistani friend who is very uncomfortable around large dogs. Other than that, I don't know. Jim1138 (talk) 03:23, 16 March 2014 (UTC)
My primary concern is to not be unnecessarily offensive. Jim1138 (talk) 03:58, 16 March 2014 (UTC)
Hi Jim1138. I too do not want to cause unnecessary offense. I do not agree with the change in the portal from using the image of a pig because of the threat of vandalism, however, there has not been consensus on this so I have not requested the image be reverted. My concern is that we do not appear to know whether images of some (unclean) animals really are dis-respectful. Is the protest from a group of people or just an individual? I wonder why individual pages of animals have not been attacked (or maybe they have but I have not seen it).__DrChrissy (talk) 01:19, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
Hi DrChrissy@, essentially, not much vandalism. File:Sow with piglet.jpg has been vandalized by five different IPs/accounts. The first two seem unrelated to religion, the third was a blanking from the UK who seemed to be on a non-religion vandalism spree. The fourth and fifth (first and second accounts) were on the same day perhaps by the same individual. The first account did a couple of experiments, added File:Allah-green.svg then blanked the page was reverted then blocked. The second account blanked the page on the first instance, was reverted then added File:Allah1.png was reverted and blocked. The final and only edit summary was "photo changed because previous one was totally disrespectful for this topic" which led me to believe it was the animal portal image as opposed to accessing the image from the article. File talk:Sow with piglet.jpg has been deleted four times, the first two for general vandalism, the third G1-patent nonsense, the fourth as a test page. The commons page had been vandalized twice, both not related to religion; the talk page no vandalism.
If you click on the text, you get the portal page. If you click on the image, you get the large photo of the portal image. Perhaps a shock. I asked an Atheist Persian friend who has no pork issues. She thinks most would not have an issue. Might be a click=touch issue as touching a pig is often revolting, though doesn't know. She thinks that some *might* think that the use of a pig would thought of as an intentional affront. BTW: I used Hafspajen's recommendation of Swan II and Caribou rather than my preference of
Honey Badger
. Given Swan II & Caribou, Caribou was selected over Swan II by the admin: "Wouldn't the swan be more appropriate for Portal:Birds?.
I do not consider this to be appeasement nor compromise. Jim1138 (talk) 09:15, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
Well I do understand you both. Considering all this it was probably wise to change this picture, not to cause unnecessary offense. But I do understand Dr. Chrissy what is worrying about too . Hafspajen (talk) 12:30, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
Might have religious reasons, you know. The Jews and the Muslims don't eat pork. Not
kosher and not halal food. Some vegans can also be militant. (Veganism) Hafspajen (talk
) 01:39, 18 March 2014 (UTC
Hi Hafspajen. I have lectured at university level on methods of religious slaughter and animal husbandry. I understand, and I am sympathetic to, (some) of these beliefs/practices, however, it seems that what we have here is someone who is stating that images of some animals are "dis-respectful". I have not encountered this concern before, apart from knowing that some religions ban images of animals on their clothing, especially during prayers. If these images are a legitimate concern - where does it end on wikipedia in terms of images that are used in animal-related articles.__DrChrissy (talk) 02:04, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
' In that case my comment was useless. About your concern, yes, one can replace 1 picture, but not delete encyclopedic knowledge or content or remove or rewrite. That is not possible. This is about knowledge, not about chosing what you like. Things exists even if you don't like them. We can't go on conforming to this kind of requests way to far. I don't like tomatoes, but I am not deleting tomato articles. Hafspajen (talk) 02:16, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
Agreed! I really hate carrots! ;-) __DrChrissy (talk) 02:46, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
There is at least one Wikipedia precedent to images which are possibly disrespectful. see File talk:Jyllands-Posten-pg3-article-in-Sept-30-2005-edition-of-KulturWeekend-entitled-Muhammeds-ansigt.png/Archive3__DrChrissy (talk) 03:25, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
I favored replacing the pig, as it is kind of a controversial animal to Muslim and Jewish traditions; I filed it under "who needs the drama?" Certainly everyone can point to someone with a beef )pun intended) against almost any classification of animal, but the pork thing is such a big deal to billions of people, figured it was easy enough to just pick anything else. (I still like the red parrot...) Montanabw(talk) 05:09, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
Jim1138 raises a good point that touching an animal image (touchscreens on tablets, phones) may be problematic for some. Is this a general issue which should receive a wider audience, or is it a case of "let (dirty) sleeping dogs lie"?__DrChrissy (talk) 19:30, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
My read on this is that having an animal that everyone knows is offensive to Muslims symbolizing the whole animal portal looked too much like a deliberate symbolic snub. I don't think it's a matter of whether such images are inherently all that disrespectful, but only the fact of choosing it as our symbol.
Just remember that this isn't about content, it's about what image shows on the link to the portal- strictly an aesthetic/symbolic thing. We can afford to change the appearance of the thumbnail as long as we don't change the content it links to. Chuck Entz (talk) 08:53, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
Matty asked if there is a need to fix those images, that it will show several images, like Honey bagder at one time, later caribou, than parrot and next a sheep, well whatever you chose. What do you think? Hafspajen (talk) 20:10, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
Just to note, I will set up 5 pictures or so, then you can copy the format and add as many as you want (presuming I can get the thing to work). Thanks, Matty.007 20:18, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

Preliminary polling

  • I like the red parrot. Montanabw(talk) 00:34, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
  • Like that caribou, also the honey badger. Hafspajen (talk) 13:06, 14 March 2014 (UTC)

Expert input required on Template:Primitive fishes

The template is under discussion at TfD, expert biological input is welcome. A similar issue is present at Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion/Log/2014_May_29#Category:Primitive_fishes. Many thanks! --cyclopiaspeak! 16:28, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Leaflet For Wikiproject Animals At Wikimania 2014

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Project leaflets
Adikhajuria (talk) 15:52, 23 May 2014 (UTC)

Leaflet For Wikiproject Animals At Wikimania 2014 (updated version)

Please note: This is an updated version of a previous post that I made.

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Adikhajuria (talk) 13:31, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Content dispute at copper shark

There's a dispute over whether recent new additions at copper shark should be retained. I would appreciate input from other editors on this issue. Thanks. -- Yzx (talk) 22:30, 12 April 2014 (UTC)

Request for article reviewers

Questions have been raised about the accuracy of science articles written by the prolific author Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs). The background can be read in a regrettably long and bad-tempered thread at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/IncidentArchive835#Harassment. If you do not want to read the whole thing, start here. To her credit, Cwmhiraeth has initiated Wikipedia:Editor review/Cwmhiraeth. It would help to generate light, rather than more heat, and to decide whether there is a serious problem, if scientifically-qualified editors uninvolved in the row could review some of Cwmhiraeth's articles and comment at the editor review. JohnCD (talk) 21:11, 14 April 2014 (UTC) This edit unsigned by User Cwmhiraeth at 06:27, 16 April 2014

Thank you for that unsigned comment linking me to this request, Snowmanradio. You will see that I reported my action on my talk page where JohnCD had written "Any suggestions for other WikiProjects to ask?". JohnCD subsequently approved the action I had taken on approaching other WikiProjects. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 05:20, 17 April 2014 (UTC)
Yes, copying this here was a helpful act by Cwmhiraeth, for which I have thanked her. Links to archived AN/I thread updated. JohnCD (talk) 13:36, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Dear animal experts: Would it be appropriate to add some information from the above old Afc submission to the existing article Pinky (dolphin), and, if so, is there someone at this project that would be able to do it? The submission will shortly be deleted as a stale draft if no one takes an interest in it. I know nothing of biology myself, so I can't do it. —Anne Delong (talk) 13:49, 20 April 2014 (UTC)

Taxobox needed for
Cladorhiza concrescens and Cladorhiza caillieti

Could someone add a taxbox to

) 14:22, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

Done! --Animalparty-- (talk) 04:22, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Chalinolobus picatus

Dear animal experts: This Afc submission was about to be deleted as a stale draft. There is already an article

Chalinolobus picatus is a redirect to it. The Afc submission is much more extensive. The content can be moved to the mainspace article, and the attribution can be saved in the redirecct. Alternatively, the draft can be moved to Chalinolobus picatus, replacing the current contentless redirect, and the current tiny article can become the redirect. Which of these should be done, or is something different more appropriate? —Anne Delong (talk
) 18:46, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

By all means, the stub should be replaced with the AfC. Chalinolobus picatus is synonymous with Little pied bat. The treatment of the species at ) 01:20, 1 May 2014 (UTC)
Okay, I will work on this soon. —Anne Delong (talk) 01:38, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Bird article name (capitalisation)

There is a move discussion in progress on

Talk:Crowned Crane about four articles related to birds species. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. Mama meta modal (talk
) 15:33, 23 February 2014 (UTC).

Do not hesitate to come and give your opinion. It would be so logic to apply the (same) usual naming rules to all animals, including birds... ) 17:23, 8 March 2014 (UTC).

Request for comments

There is now also an ongoing request for comments on the same subject:

Talk:Crowned Crane#Request for comments
.

Do not hesitate to come and comment on this question. Mama meta modal (talk) 08:53, 16 March 2014 (UTC).

Consensus

The discussion was closed (and the pages moved) on 26 March 2014, see Talk:Crowned crane#Requested move for details.

Mama meta modal (talk) 20:50, 26 March 2014 (UTC).

Move review for species pages at Wikipedia:Move review/Log/2014 March. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:31, 27 March 2014 (UTC)

New discussion

The important discussion started on Talk:Crowned crane and Wikipedia:Move review/Log/2014 March#Black crowned crane now moved to Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style#A new proposal regarding bird article names.

Mama meta modal (talk) 21:02, 9 April 2014 (UTC).

The consensus is now clear. The relevant pages will soon be checked and made consistent with Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style#Bird common name decapitalisation.
H. H. Wander Strata (talk) 23:06, 2 May 2014 (UTC).

Portal image: Storm in a teacup

The person messing with the "Sow with piglet" image was not offended by the image as such, but with this opprobrious piece of vandalism. They simply did not know how to revert it when they saw it in the article Six Kalimas, but they had a good attempt.

All the best, Rich Farmbrough, 21:24, 17 April 2014 (UTC).

Oh well, we swapped out the pig anyway, as that was where the discussion went, so end of both stories. Montanabw(talk) 23:54, 17 April 2014 (UTC)
Storm in a teacup indeed, wow.... oh well I guess problem solved by rational and level headed members :) ZooPro 00:15, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Tunicate

There is an IP user (129.62.69.239 and 129.62.228.222) who keeps changing the name of the subphylum of Tunicate in the taxobox from Tunicata to Urochordata (but not the rest of the text, which now disagrees with the taxobox). Tunicata is the accepted name according to WoRMS with Urochordata being a junior synonym, and WoRMS is the source used in the taxobox. Any views as to which name should be used? I don't want to get into an edit conflict with the IP. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:24, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

I know squat about taxonomy, but I'll trot over and revert as needed until someone comes up with a source to conclude the dispute. If you can present best evidence and most recent sources on this stuff. Maybe also try wikiproject biology, they may have more taxonomy sorts there? Montanabw(talk) 21:04, 10 May 2014 (UTC)
This matter is now being discussed on the article's talk page. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 05:31, 11 May 2014 (UTC)

Northern birch mouse

On 12th May I expanded the Northern birch mouse article from a brief stub to a prose size of 2775 B (492 words). On 17th May, an IP has further expanded it to 6570 B (1053 words). Nothing wrong with that, I don't own the article. The new material has been added in one big addition and does not integrate well with what was there previously. I would be glad if someone else could have a look at it, especially the new referencing. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 05:18, 17 May 2014 (UTC)

Planning on creating an article titled List of species that possibly went extinct in the 16th century. Would anyone like to contribute?

I intend to make the 16th century section of the Timeline of Extinctions so full to the point where it needs to break away and become its own article:

List_of_species_that_possibly_went_extinct_in_the_16th_century

I will then put a link to the new article within the 16th century section of the current article. Would anyone like to contribute to this? Let me know here! Cheers. Kirby (talk) 23:14, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

By "possibly went extinct" does this mean there is uncertainty as to whether the species are extinct, or just when they went extinct? Do you have a single source in mind or many? I'm only asking because to indicate uncertainty or speculation in the title of an article seems a bit misguided, and any entries should of course derive from reliable sources. Any idea of how many individual entries would be on the new list? --Animalparty-- (talk) 22:57, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

Hello again! Late replying here. To answer your question Animalparty, is it more along the lines of "when they went extinct". One of the species that I am planning on including in my article is of course the Megatherium, which is rumored to have gone extinct in the early-mid 16th century. :)

And yes, I do have sources for this article of course and I will be sure to add/cite them. Cheers! Kirby (talk) 12:10, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

I'm curious whether you've started this? Brambleclawx 19:01, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Organization of several articles about similar animals

Not sure where to put this question which I am sure has been successfully addressed hundreds of times before. There is a higher level article elephant. There are only two subordinate articles Asian elephant and African elephant. How much material should be duplicated? I think the answer is "as little as possible." So the African elephant article contains the specific amount that species eats. Then goes on about the table manner of elephants generally, which IMO seems inappropriate in that article. I think it should go into the higher level article.

African elephant correctly does not mention that the animal is a herbivore. This is addressed in the higher level article. I've commented in the elephant article that someone should "address" the organizational concerns. Not entirely sure what those are, but I assume "avoid duplication" is one goal. Right? Student7 (talk) 20:54, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

These areas can be tricky. It is difficult to have no overlap at all. Will take a look a bit later today. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:01, 25 May 2014 (UTC)
Well for a start there are more than two daughter articles - there are two species of African elephant - African bush elephant and African forest elephant. The overall elephant article provides a nice summary which briefly touches on the differences betwen African and Asian elephants. The daughter articles would then contain more research on the individual species, and might at times need to summarise certain aspects of general elephant behaviour to make their feeding sections flow better. Agree we should keep overlap small but none is impractical. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:43, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
Indeed, we have a similar situation with zebra, where there are many subspecies of zebras. My take is to do the "parent" article as well as possible, to GA-level, ideally, and then the "child" - subspecies articles should be comprehensive about the things unique to that subspecies (habitat, etc.) but summarize the generic "elephant" things. Does that offer any help? Montanabw(talk) 17:15, 27 May 2014 (UTC)
Whilst I can understand that duplication should be avoided, I can not help but feel the average reader would absolutely want to know from reading the African elephant that this species is a herbivore. I would not expect to have to go to a "parent" article to read this. I'm afraid this is in contrast to the position stated above by User:Student7, but we are both entitled to our opinion and I respect yours. I suspect this is the problem here - it is all a matter of opinion. Could we perhaps construct guidelines for such "parent" pages. For example, recommending inclusion of comparison tables of length, weight, colouration, etc, paragraphs explaining striking differences between (sub)species, e.g. a parent Kangaroo article could note the striking difference in lifestyle of the Tree-kangaroo compared to the terrestrial 'roo. Perhaps these sorts of guidelines already exist?__DrChrissy (talk) 19:32, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
I see no problem with basic summaries of these things, at least as far as explaining how one subspecies differs from another. i'd like to see what edits are actually proposed. Montanabw(talk) 21:51, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
I think there is no chance of avoiding some duplicity - there is an article, Animal, with various links to articles going "down" the taxonomic scale. Unavoidably, there is duplicity. I would suggest that for the average reader, their entry point (i.e. what they enter into the Search) is likely to be at the species level, or a collective article. I feel the species article should be self-contained, or the sub-species level where this is appropriate.__DrChrissy (talk) 10:57, 29 May 2014 (UTC)
Yeah, I don't think you and I have a significant disagreement on this. Student7 hasn't returned to comment, and I guess anyone who actually cares can watchlist the elephant articles and see if there are any problematic edits. Much as I like elephants, I do have other fish to fry (if I may be allowed to mix my metaphors!) Montanabw(talk) 18:01, 29 May 2014 (UTC)
You'd need a bloody big frying pan to mix those metaphors!  ;-) __DrChrissy (talk) 09:25, 30 May 2014 (UTC)
I have been following this discussion because I have been working on the article Wildebeest with a view to GA nomination, and Sainsf has already brought Blue wildebeest and Black wildebeest to GA. One problem is that the wildebeest article contains more about blue wildebeest migration than does the species article (the black wildebeest does not migrate). I consider that each article should be considered individually and the reader should not need to click through to find out basic information. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 10:09, 30 May 2014 (UTC)
Yes, I would agree with that. I was unaware of this difference in migratory behaviour prior to the message above. So, as an uninformed reader, I would have liked the Parent page to contain a statement that the blue wildebeest migrates (perhaps with minimal additional information such as the distance or the the season in which it occurs) but the black wildebeest does not migrate. Details of the migration should then be on the Blue wildebeest article.__DrChrissy (talk) 09:15, 31 May 2014 (UTC)

Note of RM discussion

Seems to have become part of a much larger discussion. May be of interest to project members here: Talk:American_Paint_Horse#Requested moves. Montanabw(talk) 02:33, 5 June 2014 (UTC)

WikiProject Poultry