• Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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    2 年前

    Its a 6 sided bear, the peak of the polygonal phylogeny.

    Monomouse

    Duodugong

    Traye-aye

    Quadferret

    Pentacoyote

    Hexbear

    Heptaherpeton - this is the furthest we’ve discovered in the polygonal phylogeny but research indicates the likely existence of an octorca as well

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
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      2 年前

      Octoria are scientifically impossible, the grazing territory requirements alone for a sustainable breeding colony would be immense. Any reports of them in the wild are either misidentified pairs of quadferrets copulating, or hoaxes perpetuating the psuedoscience.

      • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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        2 年前

        quadferrets copulating

        That’s where you’re messing up. Those are pentacoyotes, not quadferrets. The contact side between two polygonimals mating is actually obscured, so the actual number of sides in a copulation configuration is the sum of the sides of all involved polygonimals - 2. Therefore the octorca could not be two mating quadferrets, but could be two pentacoyotes, or a chain of duodugongs.

        • Agent641@lemmy.world
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          2 年前

          Youre quite right, rookie mistake by me. You would think a Polyphylogenonomist would know better.

          However, wouldnt it be more accurate to say that the actual number of sides in any given copulation configuration containing n polygonimals would be n*(sides per polygonimal)-(n-1)? Assuming we exclude tricopulations of hexbears where any given individual may be contacting two other individuals’ sides at the same time in a tessalation layout? I must admit im not certain though, my field is polyphylogenomics, not polyphylogenomatics. Im sure there are some edge cases Ive missed, pardon the pun.

          • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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            2 年前

            My bad, I was thinking in terms of simple intraspecies pairing like they taught us as undergrads. Once you get into polypolys and tessellations the math is frankly beyond me. Well spotted though.