User:Samsara/Animal FA requirements

Mandatory photography

An image of the animal should be provided. Where sexes look different, both should be shown. Where juveniles look different to the adults, or where several life cycle stages exist (e.g. larva, pupa, imago), each should be shown in a photograph. This requirement may be relaxed when the differences are not specific to the species and have already been illustrated in suitable photographs at a higher taxonomic level (e.g. tadpoles need not be included if their colouration is a bland black or brown, and when they have no other unique morphological adaptations that might be illustrated in a photograph, because the general tadpole morphology is already covered in text and pictures in the frog article).

Mandatory illustrations

General

distribution map (aka range map) for extant animals whose range in the wild is known; recent historic range to be included where known
size comparison vs. human (or human legs + pelvis, or hand, as applicable to the size of the animal) for animals above a certain size (10cm) TODO determine size of hand and legs+pelvis from the standardised Pioneer illustration, e.g. Image:Tuatara scale.png
illustration of any unique or distinctive anatomic features that are not already visible from photographs included in the article, e.g. cockspur in junglefowl; as a counterexample, illustrations of the beaks of the hornbills are not required where the feature is clearly visible in at least one photograph included in the article (but please place these photographs near the top of the article)

Bats

bats should have a front view of the head; the reference implementation for this is Image:Haeckel Chiroptera.jpg; de:Bild:Grosse Hufeisennase-drawing.jpg may serve as another example
1. the illustration should have a resolution that has the head at least 250px wide and clearly illustrated, for a total image width of at least 300px; photos of sufficient quality may be acceptable
2. the head should be rotated so that the ears are at the top, and the jaws at the bottom; this makes the image easier for human brains to process, and for most bats, is the most likely position to be encountered (although they may hang upside down, many can turn their heads in all directions, and their face therefore has about a 50% of being the "right" way up when spotted by human observers; also, many bats can conceal their entire bodies in their wings so that no head is normally visible when resting)

Birds

A silhouette of the bird in flight should be supplied for all soaring birds, raptors, vultures, seabirds, wading birds, ducks, pigeons, herons, cranes, storks, swallows, swifts, corvids, and medium to large songbirds; these are to be included in species-level articles even when they cannot be used to completely identify the species in all of its range. When congeners do not differ in their silhouette, the same illustration may be used for multiple articles; in addition, the illustration should also be included in the genus article if it applies to all species in the genus. Otherwise, it should be omitted in higher taxonomic levels. The use of semi-profile views is encouraged as an alternative for species that do not typically soar at high altitudes, but the illustration should be of the gliding phase or with wings in mid-beat, i.e. nearly horizontal (Image:Flying mallard duck - female.jpg is as close an example as we currently have, albeit a photo). For birds that do soar at high altitudes (usu. raptors and vultures), a view with a deviation of up to 30 degrees from vertical may be acceptable, but it is preferable for the bird to be shown from below, because this will show any colour patterns on the wing that people may be able to discern from the ground. If for some reason, a photo showing the bird from above (e.g. from cliffs) must be used, it must provide sufficient contrast between the bird and the background so the silhouette remains clearly discernable. For species that do not typically soar at altitude, but may be observed during high-altitude migration across large distances, it may be advisable to gather consensus from fellow editors on what the appropriate way to depict the bird is going to be. All flightless birds are exempt, but birds that fly only small distances and/or low altitudes are not, since often, they may only be spotted when they fly (e.g. many Galliformes).

Audio inclusions

All extant animals that make significant sounds should have these included in their article. This applies to all vocalisations, as well as other deliberate and characteristic sounds used in communication or predation. Excluded therefore are accidental sounds, which may include some made by feet, hooves, wings or flippers; chewing sounds and others produced as by-products of the dismemberment of prey, as well as accidental crushing of, say, vegetation. The emphasis is on whether the sound is made accidentally or with a clear function w.r.t. natural selection (including sexual selection).

More than one significant sound may have to be shown, and is permitted. Species that have highly variable local dialects or large individual differences should be represented by two or three clips roughly representative of the range of variation encountered in nature. Where subspecies differ, each recording should be correctly assigned to a subspecies.

The audio inclusion criteria do not apply to man (Homo sapiens sapiens), for whom separate criteria may have to be drawn up.

Optional image inclusions

a migration map showing how the animal got into various parts of its current/historic range, where such information is known

Thoughts, ideas

We could think about similar criteria for plants (distribution, seed morphology, flower morphology, leaf morphology, Gestalt).