How can different types share data?

Question
Solution
Alternative Solution
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type Animal
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    = Dog DogData
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    | Bird BirdData
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type alias DogData =
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    { name : String
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    , runningSpeed : Float
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    }
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type alias BirdData =
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    { name : String
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    , wingSpan : Float
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    }
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​
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{-| This function should work for all Animals
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-}
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getName {name} =
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    name
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type alias Animal =
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    { name : String, data : AnimalData}
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​
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type AnimalData
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    = Dog DogData
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    | Bird BirdData
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type alias DogData =
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    { runningSpeed : Float
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    }
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type alias BirdData =
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    { wingSpan : Float
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    }
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​
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getName : Animal -> String
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getName {name} =
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    name
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type Animal =
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    Dog DogData
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    | Bird BirdData
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​
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type alias AnimalData species =
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    {species| name : String}
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type alias DogData =
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    AnimalData {runningSpeed:Float}
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​
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type alias BirdData =
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    AnimalData {wingSpan:Float}
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​
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getName : AnimalData species -> String
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getName {name} =
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    name
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Question
How can I write one function for all animals, that returns just the name.
Answer
Put the common data, in our case the name, all in one case and separate it from the differing data.
Further Reading
👥Thread: Passing accessors to functions​
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