(urth) Patera Incus

[António Pedro Marques]

Mo Holkar wrote (16-08-2010 10:53):
> At 00:10 16/08/2010, Lee wrote:
>>> Mo Holkar: Just on a zoological note: a fulmar is not a type of gull,
>>> but a type of petrel. Apart from both being birds, fulmars and gulls
>>> are not related at all.
>>
>> Well, they are both seabirds comprising a smaller much smaller subset
>> than that which would include owls and ostriches.
>
> Although they are in that sense more closely culturally associated with
> gulls than are owls and ostriches, really they are no more closely
> related to them than those other birds are. "Seabirds" is not a genetic
> relationship grouping, just a behavioural coincidence of habitat.
>
> (Of course, Wolfe may have just been intending a cultural association of
>  this sort in Fulmar's name, as it might have been difficult to find an
> actual gull-based name that didn't include the obvious word "gull".)

Biological species on the Whorl need not be the same as here. It's perfectly
possible for there to be a genetically close relative of gulls there that
would merit to have its name translated as 'fulmar'.