Are we fish?

[Dani]

Some of the TAs for first year biology were discussing whether or not
we can call ourselves fish. My answer is most emphatically YES!

Consider studies such as this:

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001168

Of course, my answer depends on how you define the word fish. Do we
define fish as all Osteichthyes (bony fishes)? If yes, then we are
most certainly fish! Or does "fish" include only the Actinopterygii?
Then lungfishes are not fishes at all!

[thomas....@gmail.com]

I know this is way after the fact, but I was thinking of resurrecting some posts on the board in hopes of getting some more discussion going.

I'd agree with you about whether we can be considered fish. The problem ultimately is semantics though, as you mentioned with what we consider fish. Many people would consider sharks to be fish as well (in layman's terms at least), but that doesn't really hold water (haha) if we're sticking to monophyletic groups. It's the same problem with reptiles. What is a reptile? Is it all diapsids? Are birds included (I would definitely say yes)? Does the definition of reptile go further back, effectively becoming equal with Amniota, and if so does that make us reptiles?.