I tried to pull the lever only far enough to send the trolley at the birds but I slipped and now it's coming at mammals instead
In biological classification, once you join a club you never leave.
That's why humans are fish, "reptile" and "lizard" are invalid classifications, birds are dinosaurs, and snakes are tetrapods (meaning "four legs").
I love when taxonomic lineages defy outer appearances. Like how common sense would dictate that crocodiles would be closely related to lizards but nope, the closest living kin to crocodilians are birds. And similarly, tuna fish are more closely related to humans than they are to sharks!
And there are "lizards" which are more closely related to snakes than they are to other reptiles classified as "lizards."
"reptile" and "lizard" are invalid classifications
Can you explain how? I was under the impression a reptile group could be made, it just includes birds. The "reptile" group most people think of is the non avian reptiles.
Its sauropsidan now and includes reptilians, avians, dinosaurs and crocodilians. It has a cousin taxonomy I forget the name of that includes all mammalians and a number of extinct groups. Those extinct and four legged spiny looking fellas that look like lizards are more closely related to humans than your modern lizard.
"You're more closely related to a chicken than most fish are to each other."
