Talk:Popular beast alternate modes

If we're going to have this page at all, we're going to have to at least try to respect biological classification: pick levels we deem noteworthy and then stick with them across all groups. "Panther" is not a real animal name. Work in progress... --Thylacine 2000 02:25, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Should we just eliminate the common names, then? Everyone should still know what we're talking about if we just say Panthera and Gorilla, surely. -Rotty 02:56, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

But they won't automatically know what we're talking about when they see Acinonyx or Ceratotherium. Though I guess it becomes clear when you list the characters beneath them. --Thylacine 2000 03:56, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Thy, I have to disagree. We are writing this article for random laypeople that want to know about shared beast forms, not biologists. I think the page becomes significantly less useful if we do anything other than refer to the animals at the level at which random uneducated people will refer to them. None of the organization should be erroneous, of course, but random people will know the difference between at least some big cat species, and we should reflect that by splitting the big cats up. Readers will care whether the altmode is a lion versus a tiger, or perhaps even a polar bear versus some other variety of bear. But most people don't really know or care about different scorpions, for instance, so there is no need to split them up. --Steve-o 04:19, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

I agree with Steve, but I think it would serve to identify both ways. If we categorize with general "layman" animal types, we can give a scientific name, perhaps in parentheses, following the Transformer name on each entry into the list. --Sntint 04:33, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

We don't need to do that after every Transformer's name! I already broke all the vertebrates except "Bats" and "Rhinos" (which need work) down to the genus in parentheses. -Rotty 05:27, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, then for those for whom it is necessary or pertinent? List the bats and rhinos as bats and rhinos, then specify after each individual's name. For the sake of information. --Sntint 05:44, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

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