Not a favorite as in “I like it” but it is interesting to me how changes in language and context can make a name that was ok in latin sounds now as a WTF were they thinking when naming this?
Macaca nigra
Double unfortunate sounding name. And it made me cringe when the news about that monkey that took the selfie in that funny copyright case appeared.
One of my favorite flowers is Clitoria, named for obvious reasons.
From Wiki:
As a counterpoint, there are the Priapulids, or penis worms. The species depicted is Priapulus caudatus, the “little penis with a tail.”
Salmonella mjordan. However, I’m not certain whether this is still proper terminology. Everything S. enteritidis just lacks a certain flair.
My students always liked the genus name Turdus; this genus includes thrushes, blackbirds and the American robin.
I personally like Hypsiglena torquata (the night snake, native to parts of the US and Mexico.
The cadence and combination of sounds are lovely…I can imagine naming a daughter this name…picture leaning over the porch rail and calling her name to come in at twilight…“Hypsiglena torquata, what are you doing out there? Time to come in…”
You know that’s just going to mushroom.
In similar but not quite the same vein is Puffinus puffinus, which is of course not a puffin (in fact, puffins are not members of the genus puffinus at all).
“Nigra” is just the Latin word for “black.” It’s the “black macaque.”
Not the name of a plant/animal, but I’ve always enjoyed the whimsical names given to proteins and genes, like Sonic hedgehog and its inhibitor Robotnikinin.
Do mushrooms count?
Amanita phaloides is the most poisonous of the amanitas; its name means phallus-shaped and tends to cause constipated stares in certain populations (say, prudish biology teachers). Amanita muscaria is the only non-poisonous one, it’s the stereotypical toadstool.
If we can leave living things aside, when my Orgo teacher first mentioned “copulative reactions” he said “you may laugh, but this time only. And yes, it’s their actual name, I’m not making it up to make you guys look congested.” He was a Jesuit in his 60s and unlike his 20sh year old students he could say “copulative” without getting bug-eyed.
Also eatibus anythingabus
This is definitely my favorite, because you pretty much imagine that this is what a gorilla calls himself.
I had an Echinofossulocactus zacatecasensis when I was younger.
I like the sound (and the flowers) of Liriodendron tulipifera
Me three! I guess homo erectus is a close second.
I love that.
Hey - that list is missing Hapalopus aldanus (tarantula named for Alan Alda).
But it does have Crikey steveirwini
The sex of this particular species can be determined by whether the individual is equiped with a Lama glama ding dong.
I quite like Smilodon fatalis for the sabre-toothed cat. I first saw this in an xkcd comic about possible Mac OS X names.
I like the name of Balaenoptera musculus, the blue whale. Apparently the species name means “little mouse” or “mouse-like,” in what may be a joke.
There are a number of inaccuracies in this paragraph. The true part is that Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) and the closely related A. ocreata etc. (Destroying Angel), are indeed extremely toxic, in fact cause about 90% of wild mushroom eating fatalities. They are large and handsome and edible-looking, and also mimic, in some stages, the eminently edible and common Agaricus campestris (wild version of your grocery-store mushrooms), and also the perfectly edible puffball. The reason the toxic Amanitas are so deadly is that they have a long latency period with no symptoms, during which they are busily destroying your liver.
However, A.muscaria, Fly Agaric, which is the one with the white-flecked, brilliant red cap, is not edible, as a food. It is a hallucinogen which almost always is accompanied by violent nausea.
There are some very delicious Amanita species (A.calyptroderma, A.ceasaria), and some that are edible but not anything special. Know your fungi.
Also, not sure if prudery and teaching biology commonly go together. I certainly have never met a biologist who titters and blushes about latin nomenclature. Leering, perhaps.
I get a laugh out of Aha ha, an Australian wasp.
