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Hypothetical species

Hypothetical species is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hypothetical species rather than just read about it. In short: Several species have been assumed to exist, but due to a lack of physical evidence they can only be regarded as hypothetical or potential species. Hypothetical species are usually believed to be extinct.

Hypothetical species — main illustration
Hypothetical species — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Hypothetical species belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Hypothetical species to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Hypothetical species from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Several species have been assumed to exist, but due to a lack of physical evidence they can only be regarded as hypothetical or potential species. Hypothetical species are usually believed to be extinct. They have caused confusion, as they may have been a separate species, a subspecies, an introduced species or a misidentification. It can also refer to species that are hypothesised to have existed evolutionarily.

List of hypothetical species

Birds

Albin's macaw Arkansaw siskin, Fringilla spaltria Barraband's mystery black-breasted twelve-wired bird-of-paradise Bird of Washington, Haliaetus washingtoni Blue-browed fig parrot Blue Mountain warbler, Sylvia montana Blue-thighed lory, Lorius tibialis Dominican green-and-yellow macaw, Ara atwoodi Carbonated warbler, Sylvia carbonata Cuvier's kinglet, Regulus cuvieri Geoffroyus aureus Guadeloupe amazon, Amazona violacea Guadeloupe parakeet, Psittacara labati Hypothetical relatives of the Rodrigues parrot Jago fowl, Gallus giganteus Jamaican red macaw, Ara gossei Leguat's giant, Leguatia gigantea Lesser Antillean macaw, Ara guadeloupensis Madeira finch, Goniaphea leucocephala Martinique amazon, Amazona martinicana Martinique macaw, Ara martinicus Meidum geese Painted vulture, Sarcoramphus sacra/Sarcoramphus papa ssp. Raiatea starling, Aplonis? ulietensis Red-headed macaw, Ara erythrocephala Roper River scrub robin, Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi Réunion swamphen, Porphyrio caerulescens Small-headed flycatcher, Muscicapa minuta Sushkin's goose, Anser neglectus Tahiti crake, Zapornia nigra Tanna ground dove, Pampusana ferruginea Townsends' dickcissel, Spiza townsendi Townsend's finch, Emberiza townsendi Unicolored lory, Eos unicolor Unidentified Jamaican parrot Zhenniao

Non-avian dinosaurs Proavis (partim)

Mammals Andean wolf, Dasycyon hagenbecki Chilihueque, Lama araucana Chinese elephant, Elephas maximus rubridens Giraffa sahara Javan elephant, Elephas maximus sondaicus Kallana Long-necked seal, Phoca mutica Shrewdinger Sonnerat's shrew, Diplomesodon sonnerati Steller's sea ape, Simia marina Sumxu Unidentified extinct canid populations Waitoreke Zebro

Fish Abyssal rainbow gar Five-lined constellation fish, Bathysidus pentagrammus Giant dragonfish, Bathysphaera intacta Pallid sailfin, Bathyembryx istiophasma Three-starred anglerfish, Bathyceratias trilynchnus

Arthropods Acarus crossi Battus polydamas antiquus

Other invertebrates Thermozodium esakii Porpita prunella Salinella salve

Plants Laysan fan palm, Pritchardia? sp. Silphium

Other organisms Last universal common ancestor

See also Chimera Cryptozoology Species inquirenda

References

Illustrations

Hypothetical species: A 1722 illustration by Jean-Baptiste Labat of three parrots on Guadeloupe. There are no remains of these species, so accurate taxonomic classification is impossible.
A 1722 illustration by Jean-Baptiste Labat of three parrots on Guadeloupe. There are no remains of these species, so accurate taxonomic classification is impossible.
Hypothetical species: Illustration of "Leguat's giant", a bird from Mauritius now believed by some researchers to be based on sightings of the greater flamingo
Illustration of "Leguat's giant", a bird from Mauritius now believed by some researchers to be based on sightings of the greater flamingo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hypothetical species

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hypothetical species claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hypothetical species before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hypothetical species ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hypothetical species

In research
Hypothetical species appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Hypothetical species in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Hypothetical species is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal stubs, Controversial taxa, Hypothetical species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Hypothetical species outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Hypothetical species in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Hypothetical species means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Hypothetical species out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hypothetical species in simple terms?

Several species have been assumed to exist, but due to a lack of physical evidence they can only be regarded as hypothetical or potential species. Hypothetical species are usually believed to be extinct.

Why does Hypothetical species matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hypothetical species?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hypothetical species.

Tags

  • Animal stubs
  • Controversial taxa
  • Hypothetical species

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