# Your favorite scientific names of plants/animals **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001 "2014-08-20T14:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/1 "2014-08-20T14:59:10Z")
My personal favorite is\*\* Upupu epops,\*\* the beautiful Hoopoe, one of the most striking birds of the non-tropical world. Sounds like a refrain by vocalists in a Speakeasy combo. Walt Kelly, in the comic strip “Pogo”, used **Esox** as an exclamation, which is a genus of northern pike. Many genera have a nominative species, where the names are repeated, like **Grus grus** , the common Crane, or **Pica pica** , the common Magpie. The longest name is **Bracyurupuskkyodermatogammarus greivlingwmnemnotus** , a Russian brine shrimp The shortest is\*\* Ia io\*\*, The Great Evening Bat. a fairly common bat of the Southeast Asian highlands. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/2 "2014-08-20T15:02:54Z")
[Strigiphilus garylarsoni.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigiphilus_garylarsoni) A biting louse found on owls. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/3 "2014-08-20T16:08:49Z")
My [Jethro Tull coreopsis](http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=1518). I bought it the minute I saw the ID tag. Doing some research, the plant was most likely named after [this man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro_Tull_(agriculturist)), not the rock band. Not sure if this is the official scientific name, but I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/4 "2014-08-20T16:16:39Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Many genera have a nominative species, where the names are repeated, like **Grus grus** , the common Crane, or **Pica pica** , the common Magpie. My favorite of this type is _Gorilla gorilla_, or _Gorilla gorilla gorilla_–in case you missed what that big ape might be the first time around. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/5 "2014-08-20T16:45:53Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > _Gorilla gorilla gorilla_ Damn, scooped. Okay then, Mephitis mephitis (offensive stench x 2). ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/6 "2014-08-20T16:48:50Z")
I have always been fond of [_Macracanthorhyncus hirudinaceous_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macracanthorhynchus_hirudinaceus), an intestinal worm of swine. Though I shall never need to, I think I can still pronounce it, spell it, and identify the eggs under a microscope. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/7 "2014-08-20T16:51:56Z")
_cannabis sativa_ has always had a nice ring to it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/8 "2014-08-20T16:59:22Z")
I’ll add _Cannabis indica_. Oh, and the cardinal: _Cardinalis cardinalis_. And the Blue Headed Parrot (with red vent feathers), aptly named: _Pionus menstruus_. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/9 "2014-08-20T17:40:56Z")
_Boa constrictor_ has a certain something. Also _Ailuropoda melanoleuca_–the black and white catfooted creature also known as the panda. And the atrocious pouch-saber [_Thylacosmilus atrox_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacosmilus). Yes, this was a giant marsupial sabertooth from South America. [_Thylacoleo carnifex_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacoleo) is pretty cool, for a butchering pouch-lion. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/10 "2014-08-20T17:47:56Z")
Mine is [Callinectes sapidus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callinectes_sapidus)(from the Greek calli- = “beautiful”, nectes = “swimmer”, and Latin sapidus = “savory”), the Atlantic blue crab. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/11 "2014-08-20T17:52:22Z")
For the repeated ones, I like _Gulo gulo_ for the wolverine. Gulo being Latin for “glutton” One of my favorites was ruined, [_Poecilognathus relativitae_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilognathus_relativitae) was originally _Phthyria relativitae_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/12 "2014-08-20T17:59:30Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > My favorite of this type is _Gorilla gorilla_, or _Gorilla gorilla gorilla_–in case you missed what that big ape might be the first time around. I’ll raise you one _[Rattus rattus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_rat)_. I also kinda like the _[Hyracotherium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyracotherium)_, because it doesn’t sound like a tiny horse, it sounds like a hothouse flower. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/13 "2014-08-20T18:27:52Z")
In a similar vein, the Eurasian Wren is _Troglodytes troglodytes_, and the Northern Wren is _Troglodytes troglodytes troglodytes_. I also like _Falco subbuteo_, the Hobby, which leant its name to the table football game after the designer was unable to call the game “Hobby”. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/14 "2014-08-20T19:08:46Z")
Trinomial nomenclature is the best! I’m going to add _Bison bison bison_. I also like _Mantis religiosa_ for the praying mantis. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/15 "2014-08-20T19:10:41Z")
And also _Mustela putorius furo_, the domestic ferret. It means “stinky weasel mouse thief.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/16 "2014-08-20T19:13:58Z")
> [@Turpentine](#): > > Trinomial nomenclature is the best! I’m going to add _Bison bison bison_. And yet all _three_ of you left off badger, badger, badger. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/17 "2014-08-20T19:22:27Z")
There’s this genus name I kind of like… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/18 "2014-08-20T19:26:32Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > There’s this genus name I kind of like… You could specify lest someone goes barking up the wrong tree. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/19 "2014-08-20T19:28:44Z")
The Puget Sound area is lousy with Big Leaf Maples. Any hillside too steep for building on is covered with 'em. They’d cover many other areas if man gave 'em a chance. In the botanical world, they’re known as acer acer. Alces alces is the largest of the of the deer family, the moose! Whenever I see a robin (American) pooping, I think turdus migratorius. Heh! It’s got turd in it’s name! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001/20 "2014-08-20T19:40:17Z")
Man, I don’t know too many Latin names offhand, except I guess dinosaurs. I’ll go with _[Roadrunnerus digestus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_The_Road_Runner#mediaviewer/File:Wile_E_Coyote.png)_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-scientific-names-of-plants-animals/696001.md?page=2)