Cousin Ricky <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
> If A was the most recent common ancestor of Old World monkeys and New World
> monkeys, then how could A not be a monkey?

  It of course depends on how the ancestral species are named, but I don't
see your point.

  Just because archosaurs are the most recent common ancestors of both
birds and crocodiles doesn't mean that a bird is a crocodile (or the
other way around). They are (according to cladistics) both archosaurs,
but not each other.

  Likewise if humans and monkeys had a common ancestor, that doesn't mean
that humans are monkeys (or the other way around). Unless you specifically
name this common ancestor "monkey".

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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