# Taxonomies for (fictional) human sub-species?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 28, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985 "2003-05-28T10:37:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/1 "2003-05-28T10:37:00Z")

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It’s perhaps a silly question, but I don’t think it’s been asked before…

Does anyone have any “favorite,” or even just _remember_, any names for fictional sub-species of humans, in movies, tv, books, etc.? The only ones I can remember myself are…

•_Neo Sapiens_, the genetically engineered beings from the old _ExoSquad_ cartoon. The fact that I remembered this makes me feel a little uneasy.

•The somewhat immodest _Homo Superior_, i.e. “Mutants,” from the Marvel comics universe.

•_Homo Sapiens Invictus_, the “Nietzscheans” from _Gene Roddenberry’s: Andromeda._

So, anyone else remember any others?

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**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/2 "2003-05-28T11:26:55Z")

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Ichtyos sapiens in _Waterworld_. Wrong in so many ways.

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**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/3 "2003-05-28T12:43:15Z")

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I like the classic Morlocks. Eloi, not so interesting, but just the word, Morlock, sounds cool.

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/4 "2003-05-28T12:46:27Z")

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“Home sapiens staroamer” in [Staroamer’s Fate](http://www.embiid.net/books/books.asp?S=112818740&P=272&C=0).

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/5 "2003-05-28T17:25:29Z")

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In Asimov’s mediocre short story “Homo sol”, humanoid species are named according to the name of the star from which they hail.

And Niven has a ton of _Homo_ species in the _Ringworld_ books. All are apparantly decended from what we call _Homo erectus_.

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**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxonomies-for-fictional-human-sub-species/177985/6 "2003-05-28T20:31:14Z")

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**Shadowrun** , an early '90s RPG that features mythical beings in a near-future cyberpunk-style _milieu_, has Linnaean nomenclature for all their monsters, demihuman and otherwise; orcs, trolls, dragons, the whole nine yards. The only two I can remember offhand are elves \*(Homo sapiens gracilis) \*and dwarves _(Homo sapiens robustus)_.