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- Sometimes these weird animal names are descriptive, such as in the case of the red-lipped batfish, highlighting these animals' unique appearance or behavior. Sometimes, however, the origins of these names are far more convoluted, as with the strange-tailed tyrant, whose name traces back through several layers of taxonomic history.
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Jun 1, 2024 · When it comes to naming animal species, scientists love to show their sense of humor. Whether it's their common name or their Latin name, certain animals are bestowed with names that are...
- Bob Strauss
- The Screaming Hairy Armadillo. It sounds like the kind of offhand insult you'd hear in a Disney TV sitcom—"Gosh, mom, don't have a screaming hairy armadillo!"—
- The Penis Snake. The penis snake, Atretochoana eiselti, may look disturbingly like a penis, but it definitely isn't a snake: this South American vertebrate is in fact a two-foot-long caecilian, an obscure family of limbless amphibians that burrow in the mud like earthworms.
- The Paradoxical Frog. Every bit as paradoxical as its name implies, Pseudis paradoxa has an interesting life cycle: the tadpoles of this frog species measure a whopping 10 inches long, but the full-grown adults are only a quarter of that length.
- The Pleasing Fungus Beetle. Any insect called the pleasing fungus beetle immediately begs the question: was this bug named in reference to a displeasing fungus beetle?
- Aha Ha Wasp
- Boobies!
- Shovelnose Guitarfish
- Agra Vation
- Sarcastic Fringehead
- Gelae Baen
- Bone-Eating Snot Flower Worm
- Boops Boops
- Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla
- Monkeyface Prickleback
For the top spot, this Australian wasp has to take the biscuit. On discovering an entirely new genus, the entomologist Arnold Menke explained, “Aha!” To which his colleague doubtfully replied, “ha”. This commitment to scientific rigour and consistency is what makes taxonomists so well respected in the scientific world. The name was also utilised fo...
This bird was named after what happens when you type ‘5318008’ on your calculator and turn it upside down. And it’s just as funny to say now as it was when calculators were invented (Great tits could also have taken this spot, but boobies are bigger, and thus, more popular on the internet). Keep in mind, if you’re going to look this up, it’s worth ...
The shovelnose guitarfish, Rhinobatos productus, is actually a ray, which inhabits warm waters off the Gulf of California. It’s name comes from its rather long, pointed nose and flat guitar-shaped body. They were first considered to be a species of shark, because they have features of both sharks and rays.
Agra beetles are small, arboreal insects found in the Neotropics. This particular species’ name apparently reflects how difficult it is to find out anything more about it, and other than the play on words, it’s hard to say what, if anything, makes it interesting. Being beetles, they’re one of the hundreds of species in the genus, which might mean i...
Named for its huge mouth and aggressive temperament, the sarcastic fringehead is a fascinating small saltwater fish, which exists in perpetual intense competition with others of its own kind. The sarcastic fringehead is a species of blenny, which spend much of their time in their ocean floor dens. They have a ‘Demogorgon’ from Stranger Things mouth...
In the quintessential and understated humour for which beetle researchers are notorious, the naming scheme for several species in the genus Gelae (pronounced, “jelly”) was conceived as a “whimsical arrangement of letters”. Along with G. baen, there are G. belae G. donut, G. fish and G. rol. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these were discovered in the US. G...
Osedax mucofloris, also known as the ‘bone-eating snot-flower worm’, is actually a species of undersea worm first discovered in 2005. It was found feeding on the carcasses of minke whales in the North Sea. Lovely.
This is our first example of what’s known as a tautonym. Since a tautology is saying the same thing twice, a tautonym is when that thing is a name, and this time, the name refers to a fish. Boops comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “cow eye”. These cute little fellas occupy waters off the coast of Europe and Africa and are thought to be a rare...
The Western gorilla is a gorilla by name in both genus and species, which isn’t so uncommon, as we’ve already seen. The lowland subspecies, however, is differentiated from its closest relative, the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) with the addition of a third iteration of the name. This is somehow supposed to simplify the issue but is v...
The monkeyface prickleback, also known as the monkeyface eel and blenny eel, is a nearshore fish with an elongated, eel-like body. These fish belong to the prickleback family, Stichaeidae, of which there are 17 species off the coast of California alone. They are infamous for their amusing name, which is derived from their monkey-face-like appearanc...
- Axolotl. Fun Fact: This magnificent lake-dweller is almost extinct in the wild. These amphibians do not go through any metamorphosis, and remain young for their whole life.
- Babirusa. Fun Fact: Babirusa seems to have walked right out of a Greek myth. It has a looping tusk coming out of its mouth and from above its snout. Native Region: Sulawesi.
- Chinstrap penguin. Fun Fact: These penguins are known for their distinct thin line that runs from ear to ear, which gave them their name. Native Region: Antarctica and South Sandwich Islands.
- Christmas tree worm. Fun Fact: Christmas tree worms have a fascinating way of reproduction. Both the male and female Christmas tree worms send out their eggs and sperms into the water.
Our world is full of animals with names that are pretty funny or weird to us humans. In this article, I will introduce you to some of the funniest ones that I have come across. I’ll also provide pictures of some of these animals for you to get an idea of why they are so funny.
There are so many animals in the world with funny names. From the bizarre-sounding quokka to the spoon-billed sandpiper, to the aptly named ADHD hamster, these creatures are sure to make you smile. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the funniest animal names out there and tell you a little bit about each one.
