That’s a fair point. I suppose in my mind I just saw things like dog cat duck lion bear as derivatives. General terms to name a specific group of animals or species. Calling them by their actual scientific names feels more like a proper noun to me.
I wouldn’t capitalize brown bear but I’d capitalize Grizzly or Kodiak.
English is dumb anyway so it’s whatever at this point
Well, I think that’s kinda the point of the OOP. Species aren’t supposed to be anything special. By capitalising the names of alien species we’re elevating them to be synonymous with culture, even though it’s impossible for any species to have a monoculture. We’re monolithising a (fictional alien) species.
By the way, Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear aren’t species either. They’re both brown bears (ursos arctos).
Hey, so I looked it up again and you’re not actually dumb. Grizzlys and Kodiaks are sub-species, so when I said they aren’t species that was only half true.
However, only the first part is capitalised, so it’s Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear, maybe because bear is the species and Grizzly/Kodiak isn’t.
Yeah I thought they were considered proper nouns and therefore are capitalized by default?
I don’t understand, do you capitalise duck and cow and eagle? Those aren’t proper nouns
No because those are general names for a type of animal. I wouldn’t capitalize dog or cat but I’d capitalize German Shepard or Maine Coon.
Well, you said species. German Shepherd isn’t a species. The species is dog (canis familiaris).
That’s a fair point. I suppose in my mind I just saw things like dog cat duck lion bear as derivatives. General terms to name a specific group of animals or species. Calling them by their actual scientific names feels more like a proper noun to me.
I wouldn’t capitalize brown bear but I’d capitalize Grizzly or Kodiak.
English is dumb anyway so it’s whatever at this point
Well, I think that’s kinda the point of the OOP. Species aren’t supposed to be anything special. By capitalising the names of alien species we’re elevating them to be synonymous with culture, even though it’s impossible for any species to have a monoculture. We’re monolithising a (fictional alien) species.
By the way, Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear aren’t species either. They’re both brown bears (ursos arctos).
Well fuck me. I’m dumber than I thought.
Hey, so I looked it up again and you’re not actually dumb. Grizzlys and Kodiaks are sub-species, so when I said they aren’t species that was only half true.
However, only the first part is capitalised, so it’s Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear, maybe because bear is the species and Grizzly/Kodiak isn’t.
Canis lupus familiaris, actually. Domestic dogs and grey wolves are the same species (canis lupus), but dogs are a distinct subspecies (familiaris).
ah, thanks!