Let's Talk Annotations

[tiwane]

Observations record individuals, and thus annotations describe the individual being recorded. So for dioecious plants, annotating an individual plant as male or female adds value. Monoecious and dioecious describe a taxon. Annotating an individual plant as monoecious or dioecious is redundant.

@Fahoodie1852

I have some observations that depict the animals mating or a male and female in the same place, in which the only correct annotation of sex would be a “pair”

Again, iNat observations record individual organisms. Just add the Copulating Observation Field or a similar one to an observation showing a mating pair.

@annkatrinrose

You can even mark the sex for unknowns. So we end up with nonsensical stuff like bacteria and viruses with male/female annotation.

Do you have examples of this still appearing as an option for viruses and bacteria?

@Fahoodie1852

There are a few observations that depict gynandromorphs, where the animal is both male and female

Those are so rare that I think you can easily address them with Observation Fields (eg https://www.inaturalist.org/observation_fields/14486) or add them to projects like Amazing Aberrants.