Another factor iNaturalist uses when suggesting a possible ID from an image is to consider what has been found, or is expected to be found, in the vicinity of the observation. That can help a lot in making a correct ID, but I suppose is a bias against exceptional specimens.
You're right, and that's something I do myself when I'm trying to identify things.
There are some amazing exceptions found. Someone doing field work in a wild part of Texas found a plant nobody could identify, and it turned out to be a completely new genus!
It wasn't on the scale of a new genus, but my first observation on iNaturalist was quite astonishing and caused a bit of a stir. https://inaturalist.nz/observations/944640 Definitely worth thinking outside the typical for the location.
Another factor iNaturalist uses when suggesting a possible ID from an image is to consider what has been found, or is expected to be found, in the vicinity of the observation. That can help a lot in making a correct ID, but I suppose is a bias against exceptional specimens.
You're right, and that's something I do myself when I'm trying to identify things.
There are some amazing exceptions found. Someone doing field work in a wild part of Texas found a plant nobody could identify, and it turned out to be a completely new genus!
It wasn't on the scale of a new genus, but my first observation on iNaturalist was quite astonishing and caused a bit of a stir. https://inaturalist.nz/observations/944640 Definitely worth thinking outside the typical for the location.