Most of the time, when scientists come up with the names of animals, they include in the name some information about the animal’s looks or behavior or another thing characteristic of them. But sometimes scientists let their imaginations run wild and come up with funny sounding names or names that have nothing to do with reality.
For example, let’s have a look at guinea pigs. These cute little fellas come from the same group as beavers, squirrels, and hamsters. Natives of South America, they have nothing to do with either the country of Guinea or pigs, and yet, this is the name they are known by in daily life. In some countries they are called “sea pigs,” which makes even less sense.
But if you thought this was a funny animal name, wait until you meet the fried egg jellyfish and tasselled wobbegong. While the first sounds like the person in charge of naming it was hungry at the time, the second one could have easily come down from the pages of a Lewis Carroll story. To be fair to the scientists though, very often those weird names are very much justified by nature’s creativity. What else are you supposed to call a screaming hairy armadillo if it’s… well, hairy, and also screams when you touch it.
Another thing you will often find scientists doing is creating long animal names. The longest one presently recorded belongs to the soldier fly. Its scientific Latin name, although only two words long, consists of 42 letters.
In this article we have collected animals with funny names. What other funny animal names have you heard that made you chuckle?
#1 Blue-Footed Booby
Image source: Rileypie
#2 Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko
Image source: Frank Vassen
#3 Screaming Hairy Armadillo
Image source: Terry Robinson
#4 Pink Fairy Armadillo
Image source: Cliff
#5 Fried Egg Jellyfish
Image source: Daderot
#6 Axolotl
Image source: Tinwe
#7 Chinstrap Penguin
Image source: Eamonn Maguire
#8 Christmas Tree Worm
Image source: Lepidlizard, James Guttuso
#9 Noisy Miner
Image source: Andrew Haynes
#10 Dik-Dik
Image source: David Castor
#11 Deer Mouse
Image source: Adrian Pingstone
#12 Hummingbird Hawk-Moth
Image source: KolhornDigitaal
#13 Spangled Cotinga
Image source: Mathias Appel
#14 Mountain Chicken Frog
Image source: Bernard Dupont
#15 Tufted Titmouse
Image source: Ken Thomas
#16 Willie Wagtail
Image source: Patrick_K59
#17 Caracal Caracal
Image source: Derek Keats
#18 Frilled-Necked Lizard
Image source: Miklos Schiberna
#19 Red-Cheeked Cordon-Bleu
Image source: Carlos Vermeersch Santana
#20 Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa
Image source: Bernard Spragg
#21 Binturong
Image source: Jastrow
#22 Tasmanian Devil
Image source: Vassil
#23 Shoebill
Image source: Bildflut
#24 Thumbelina Horse
Image source: Phil Konstantin
#25 Pleasing Fungus Beetle
Image source: Alan Schmierer
#26 Boops Boops
Image source: Roberto Pillon
#27 Aye-Aye
Image source: nomis-simon
#28 Leafy Seadragon
Image source: EyeKarma
#29 Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla
Image source: William Warby
#30 Bubo Bubo
Image source: Domenic Blair
#31 Red-Footed Booby
Image source: Gsh1967
#32 Smew
Image source: Bert Seghers
#33 Fossa
Image source: Kürschner
#34 Kakapo
Image source: Department of Conservation
#35 Crex Crex
Image source: Ron Knight
#36 Horned Screamer
Image source: u/wagnermclemes
#37 Horned Toad (Phrynosoma Cornutum)
Image source: Patrick Alexander
#38 Red Panda
Image source: Mathias Appel
#39 Chocolate Chip Sea Star (Protoreaster Nodosus)
Image source: Karelj
#40 Bear Paw Clam
Image source: Daderot
#41 Dickcissel
Image source: Christopher King
#42 Lumpsucker
Image source: incidencematrix
#43 Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Image source: Duncan McCaskill
#44 Slow Loris
Image source: Silke Hahn
#45 Glaucus Atlanticus
Image source: Vassil
#46 Pocket Gopher
Image source: Chuck Abbe
#47 Chicken Turtle
Image source: BS Thurner Hof
#48 Tomato Frog
Image source: Tim Vickers
#49 Whip-Poor-Will
Image source: Alan Schmierer
#50 Hawaiian Monk Seal
Image source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
#51 Maned Wolf
Image source: Dave Pape
#52 Euro Kangaroo
Image source: Caroline Jones
#53 Warty Pig
Image source: Oliverkj
#54 Monarch Butterfly
Image source: J. Corey Butler
#55 European Penduline Tit
Image source: Konrad Kroczek
#56 Common Loon
Image source: Lake Central
#57 Patagonian Mara
Image source: LadyofHats
#58 Long-Nosed Monkey
Image source: shankar s.
#59 Water Rat
Image source: Rob Mitchell
#60 Tawny Crazy Ant
Image source: Insects Unlocked
#61 Babirusa
Image source: Tim Vickers
#62 Antechinus
Image source: Mel Williams
#63 Howler Monkey
Image source: Terry Kearney
#64 Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos Ornatus)
Image source: Alberto Apollaro
#65 Fruit Bat
Image source: Adrian Pingstone
#66 Razor Clam
Image source: RazorClam23
#67 Yellow-Bellied Marmot
Image source: Yellowstone National Park
#68 Colugo (Dermoptère)
Image source: Didasteph
#69 Plains-Wanderer
Image source: Patrick_K59
#70 Olm
Image source: Boštjan Burger
#71 Tasmanian Pademelon
Image source: Gary Houston
#72 Green Monkey
Image source: peterichman
#73 Cricetus Cricetus
Image source: Martin Dürr
#74 Pacarana
Image source: Benjamin Frable
#75 Mulgara
Image source: Dr Katherine Moseby
#76 Black-Footed Ferret
Image source: Ryan Hagerty
#77 Italian Three-Toed Skink (Chalcides Chalcides)
Image source: Hjvannes
#78 Orange Spider Conch
Image source: George Chernilevsky
#79 Pied Shag
Image source: Bernard Spragg
#80 Angler Fish
Image source: Ryokou man
#81 Sea Cucumber
Image source: NOAA/MBARI
#82 Alces Alces
Image source: Martin Thoma
#83 Rainbow Agama
Image source: David Gunn
#84 Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Image source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
#85 Pacu
Image source: Ginkgo100imedia Commons
#86 Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus Atrox)
Image source: Patrick Alexander
#87 Dama Dama
Image source: Titus Tscharntke
#88 Grus Antigone
Image source: Wildmishra
#89 Lesser Spotted Eagle
Image source: Drägüs
#90 Sandfish
Image source: HTO
#91 Fire Salamander
Image source: Andreas Praefcke
#92 Stone Loach
Image source: Karelj
#93 Spangled Drongo
Image source: Ginge1420
#94 Melolontha Melolontha
Image source: AnRo0002
#95 Naked Mole Rat
Image source: Ltshears
#96 Devil’s Coach-Horse Beetle
Image source: Rupes
#97 Gerenuk
Image source: David Castor
#98 Sawfish
Image source: Gavemyheart3162
#99 Common Spotted Cuscus
Image source: Edward Bell
#100 Hoolock Hoolock
Image source: Rejoice Gassah
#101 Echidna
Image source: DanF
#102 Planthopper Nymph
Image source: Bj.schoenmakers
#103 Zebra Shark (Stegostoma Fasciatum)
Image source: Love Krittaya
#104 Bullock
Image source: Bishnu Sarangi
#105 Oriental Ratsnake (Dhaman)
Image source: Probophilic
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