If you ever thought that scientists are boring and have close to zero sense of humor, these funny animal names will prove you wrong.
Whenever a new species is discovered, the honor of naming it goes to the person who has found it. If a scientist has quite a limited imagination, the species might be given a descriptive name, such as Little Hairy Armadillo for an armadillo, who's little and hairy. But if the said scientist is brimming with ideas, he might name the animal something like Scaptia Beyonceae, translated to human language as Beyonce Fly. Seriously. Beyonce has a species of a fly named after her. Or maybe a fish Bassozetus Robustus with a familiar name of Robust Assfish. Or how about a Mint-Sauce Worm? Well, sure, these are some pretty funny animals, but who has ever deserved to be named a Slippery Dick?
Still not convinced? Check our compilation of the funny animal names below - I bet even J.K.Rowling would bite her nails after seeing some of these weird animal names.
More of the weirdest animals here: Encyclopedia of Life
#1 Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus Blanchardi)
Sarcastic Fringehead is probably the scariest sea creature known to man, thankfully, they're not very large as the adult fishes reach only up to 10 inches in length. Fringeheads choose to live in warm waters and can be found near the coasts of California and Mexico. These little fishes are very aggressive and attack anything, including humans, that dare to disturb them. One more fun fact about Fringeheads is the use of the word 'sarcastic' in their name - sarcastic, translated from Latin literally, means 'flesh tearing,' and it definitely adds some charm to this ferocious fish.
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66points
#2 Sea Sparkles (Noctiluca Scintillans)
Sea sparkles, though it may seem like it, are not distant relatives of unicorns, but rather a kind of sea algae that shows the trait of bioluminescence. Though their ghostly glow might seem toxic, these sea sparkles are totally harmless. The color of their gleam is partly determined by the place they live in and the phytoplankton (tiny plant particles) that they eat. Pictured here are the blue-glowing sparkles, but they can also be seen emitting red and green gleam.
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64points
#3 Slippery Dick (Halichoeres Bivittatus)
Slippery dick fish is a species of wrasses - colorful little fishes, that are native to tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Slippery dicks are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they are all initially female, changing into males later in life. The gender changing process is marked with unique body colors for each stage.
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59points
#4 Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird (Corythaixoides Personatus)
The Go-Away-Bird, a descendant of Afrotropics, got his name, not because of his hostile temper, but rather of its distinctive g'way call. This specific call is more clear when produced by its cousin the Grey-Face Go-Away-Bird. You can listen to it here.
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59points
#5 Impressed Tortoise (Manouria Impressa)
There aren't many facts known about this Impressed Tortoise, partly because of their preference for living in high altitudes up to 6,600ft in Thailand's mountains. The elusive tortoise mostly eats mushrooms and is not adaptable of living in captivity.
Lokionly
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#6 Chocolate Chip Sea Star ( Nidorellia Armata)
This creature's chocolate chip markings are really 'horns' that are used for protection since it is a diet staple for several species of fish and also some cannibalistic starfish types. Though these starfishes are blind and its organism has no blood but rather water, it can regrow any of its lost 'arms.'
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55points
#7 Bushy-Tailed Hairy-Footed Gerbil (Gerbillurus Vallinus)
This Namibian Savannah inhabitant weighs around 40 grams and can grow up to 5cm in length. These little gerbils are highly sociable creatures and are known to communicate with each other by drumming on the ground with their tiny hairy feet. Though they are herbivores, the gerbil's favorite delicatessen is the exoskeletons of bugs.
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48points
#8 Bone-Eating Snot-Flower Worm (Osedax Mucofloris)
The glamorously named worms have so many amazing facts about them that it is really quite hard to put it all in a couple of sentences. In short, though, they eat oils in dead whale's bones, while secreting acid, capable of melting bone. The female worms have their dwarf male partners living inside of them. Hundreds of them. Once a dead whale's carcass is discovered, thousands of worms gather to devour it, so it looks like the bones are covered with a fluffy red rug. If given a chance, the Snot-Flowers eats human bones with gusto. More on these glorious worms here.
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45points
#9 Andean Cock Of The Rock (Rupicola Peruvianus)
The national bird of Peru, Cock of the Rocks is known for its bright orange plumage and fan-shaped crest. These animals usually nest on the Andean mountain rocks, hence the name. Not only are they bright and colorful, but they have a pretty spectacular song too. You can hear their rooster-on-steroids call here.
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41points
#10 Sparklemuffin Spider (Maratus Jactatus)
The pencil eraser-sized Sparklemuffin come from a genus called Maratus. These venomous, though harmless to humans spiders have a very fascinating mating ritual, which consists of various dance moves, showing off their flashy butt fans, drumming on their mates' head and being eaten for lousy moves by the cannibalistic females.
39points
#11 Pigbutt Worm (Chaetopterus Pugaporcinus)
Pigbutt worms are deep sea creatures that live around 3,000 meters under the surface of the Ocean. Considering their marble-sized stature and the depths they live in, it's no surprise that they were discovered only about 10 years ago. This newly observed species of worm have a very distinct way of feeding and does so by secreting plankton trapping mucous substance around their bodies and later devouring their bounty.
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38points
#12 Wonderpus Octopus (Wunderpus Photogenicus)
This invertebrate together with all other octopuses is not just a slimy mush held aloft by the currents of the seas - not only the octopuses have a fully functioning brain and nervous system, but they also know how to use them. Octopuses are known to interfere with objects from their surroundings in a playful way and also use them as tools. And as with the Wonderpus Octopus, it's not only smart but also pretty!
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36points
#14 Whitemargin Unicornfish (Naso Annulatus)
The Unicornfish is a coral reef dweller and mostly feeds on algae. Since it is not of a predatory nature, there's no real explanation of why it has a horn, that can sometimes grow up to 13cm in length. Though unusual in appearance, the fish is said to be delicious when grilled.
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35points
#15 Beyonce Fly (Scaptia Beyonceae)
This rare kind of horse fly is only found in Queensland, Australia. Though considered a pest, the Beyonce fly helps in pollinating many plants. Named so not because of their loud or impressive buzzing, these flies sport an unusual golden patch of hair on their abdomen, thus making them "divas of the fly world."
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33points
#16 Disco Clam (Ctenoides Ales)
This funky-looking Indonesian native clam sure does light up the Ocean floor. Not only are they bright red and kinda fuzzy, but they also blink in white flashes of light that are created by reflecting any possible rays of the sun. No one's really sure why they do it though - to attract mates and food or to deter predators. Or maybe this clam has a disco fever.
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33points
#17 Satanic Leaf-Taled Gecko (Uroplatus Phantasticus)
Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko or Uroplatus phantasticus or decumbent-tailed what-the-hell-was-that is a species of lizard found only on the island of Madagascar, that has scared the Islanders for centuries not only with their name but also with their incredible rotting-leaf appearance. Since these lizards are quite small and nocturnal, it is not so easy to see them in the wild. However, if this lizards' camouflage doesn't work and a predator has spotted it, the Gecko can always open his jaws, showing a bright red and terrifying inside of the mouth. Oh, and of course, it can shed its leaf-looking tail.
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32points
#18 Fluffy-Backed Tit-Babbler (Macronous Ptilosus)
The Fluffy-Backed Tit-Babblers belong to a bird family called Timaliidae or The Old World Babblers common throughout Eurasia. The babblers probably got their name because they tend to be quite vocal and though there is no real explanation about where this one got its particular name, it does sound like a Shakespearean-esque insult.
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30points
#19 Leonardo Di Caprio Beetle (Grouvellinus Leonardodicaprioi)
Discovered in 2018, the first specimen of this new kind of Malaysian beetle seemed somewhat battered with one missing leg, and a broken antenna which probably left him feeling the same way as Leonardo does after each Oscars' ceremony.
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29points
#20 Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus Truncatus)
These solitary, nocturnal animals spend most of their time digging into the Argentinian grasslands sands. These little critters are highly dependable from their surroundings and if removed from their natural habitat die in the first few days, making it hard for the scientists to observe them or rehabilitate if found injured. These tiny armadillos, whose body grows up to 115 mm not measuring the tail, love to stuff their bellies with ants and only come up from their trenches if they're flooded by heavy rains.
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28points