Each new species discovered has to be named according to the rules of taxonomy, the science that classifies them. These rules were created by the Swedish biologist Carlos de Linnaeus in the 18th century. He suggested that each living being should have a specific name and a long pre-name, which would indicate common characteristics of the groups to which the animals belong.
The less common attributes among the animals, the larger the group: the more comprehensive is the kingdom, and the smaller, with the most similar individuals, the species. Hence the famous acronym ReFiCOFaGE that we learn in school: kingdom (animal, plant…), phylum (vertebrates or invertebrates), class, order, family, genus and finally species.
Before Lineu put the house in order, each one named the species the way they wanted. Identical animals had different names around the world, which made it difficult to study. In zoology, the branch of science that studies animals, some rules have been established for nomenclature: the name must be Latinized (for example, in Latin, there are no adjectives attached to proper names ending in “a” or “o”, which are usually replaced by “ii” or “is”), written in italics (or underlined, if handwritten) and the animal must be well described, so as not to run the risk of being reclassified later.
With so many species and characteristics, it lacks a serious name for all animals. And some bizarre ones end up appearing, as you see in the examples below.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
Boselaphus tragocamelus
WHAT A BICHO IS IT antelope from india
AUTHOR pallas
DATE OF BAPTISM 1766
If there is a four-in-one animal, this is it: the translation of its name from Latin means “ox-deer-goat-camel”. And the animal is really a mixture of all of that. Known as nilgai, it is found in India and Pakistan, and was exported to the US in the last century. There, the nilgai appears on many ranches in Texas confusing people: from the back it is an ox, from the front, a deer.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
han solo
WHAT A BICHO IS IT prehistoric crustacean
AUTHOR turvey
DATE OF BAPTISM 2005
This trilobite (animal found in fossil form) is a perfect namesake of Harrison Ford’s character in the original trilogy of Star Wars. The official excuse: it’s called «Han» because it’s from the Han River in China, and «soil» because it was the last survivor of its kind. Coincidence? “All the characters from Star Wars they have names that sound like scientific names”, said the Englishman responsible for the discovery, a declared fan of the saga.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
agra schwarzeneggeri
WHAT A BICHO IS IT Central American beetle
AUTHOR erwin
DATE OF BAPTISM 2002
There are more than 350,000 species of beetles in the world, so you can imagine the difficulty in finding new names – there are insects even named after Hitler and Bush! This beetle specifically has a leg with a bump in the middle that looks like a muscular biceps, like that of former Mister Universe, former Terminator and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
Juscelinomys candango
WHAT A BICHO IS IT Brazilian rodent from the Cerrado
AUTHOR Moojen
DATE OF BAPTISM 1965
This stingray with a bushy tail and underground habits (it builds tunnels and nests in holes) was seen once in the savannah near Brasília, a few years after the inauguration of the capital idealized by Juscelino Kubitschek, from which its first name comes. And “candango” was the name given to workers who immigrated to the capital for its construction. It is unknown whether the rodent has gone extinct.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
Proceratum google
WHAT A BICHO IS IT african ant
AUTHOR Fisher
DATE OF BAPTISM 2005
It is quite common for a biologist to spend months or years looking for new species and, when he spots one, he realizes that it is not unprecedented. To put an end to the problem, the American entomologist Brian Fisher used Google Earth to map where all the species of ants in the world are. When he found a new one, on a trip to the island of Madagascar, he didn’t hesitate and nailed the name in honor of the search tool.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
Dracorex hogwartsia
WHAT A BICHO IS IT Dinosaur that lived in the USA
AUTHOR baker
DATE OF BAPTISM 2006
The skeleton of this dinosaur was found in one piece by three amateur paleontologists and donated to a children’s science museum, where it stayed for two years before being named by experts. In honor of the kids, the dino was named, in Latin, “Dragon King of Hogwarts” – an allusion to the wizarding school in the Harry Potter series. Author JK Rowling, an amateur paleontologist, loved the tribute.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
feinbergi bambiraptor
WHAT A BICHO IS IT Dinosaur that lived in the USA
AAUTHOR burnham
DATE OF BAPTISM 2000
When the fossil of this 30 cm and only 2 kg dino was found and baptized in reference to the famous deer from the Disney films, it was the biggest controversy. Scientists claimed it got its name from being small and bouncy, despite being related to the menacing velociraptor. It is not known for sure whether it is in fact a unique species or a child of another – a frequent error in taxonomy.
– (Fernando Gonsales/Strange World)
Priapulus caudatus
WHAT A BICHO IS IT sea worm
AUTHOR Lamarck
DATE OF BAPTISM 1816
An earthworm that can reach 20 cm in length and has a squishy cylindrical body that grows depending on the circumstances looks like… exactly, a penis. In Latin, “priapulus” means “small penis”, and is also the name of a large family of marine living beings. The animals of this species move using the two «tails» that are at the base of the body, hence the «caudatus».