A Brief History
On October 16, 2010, a graduate student at Auburn University named a new species of fish Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because he thought a marking on the fish looked like a double necked guitar used by Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page.
Digging Deeper
Obviously, it would be fun to be able to give a new species the name of your choice, and here are a few goofy sounding ones already taken:
Gorilla gorilla gorilla, the Western Lowland Gorilla. If only they could all be so easy!
Mini mum, Mini scule and Mini ature, three of the tiniest species of frog, so aptly named!
Scaptia beyonceae, an Australian horse fly with a big, beautiful butt, named after singer Beyonce.
Turdus ignobilis, the Black Bellied Thrush. Thanks to the Romans, all the Thrushes are in the genus Turdus.
Ursus horribilis, the Grizzly Bear. Scientists gave us a clue about this mean guy with an apropos name!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What scientific name would you like to see?
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Bainbridge, David. How Zoologists Organize Things: The Art of Classification. Frances Lincoln, 2020.
Gotch, Arthur. Latin Names Explained: A Guide to the Scientific Classification of Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. Facts on File, 1996.
