I used to often go through lists, google searches, and so on looking for funny/weird animal names. I have made quite a few lists already, and I thought I would make a post here to see if some of you know some good ones. plants and fungi also welcome :) Here are some of my favorites that I can fin…

Not an animal, but this Peritrich apparently has the English name “Sliminess of the skin”?? https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/955047-Trichodina-domerguei

Aplos simplex is a planthopper. It means “Simple simple”. The usual spelling in the Greek I know is απλους, contracted from απλοος, but απλος is attested in ancient Greek and the usual modern spelling. Micromus is a lacewing, not a small mouse.

What! I know Aplos simplex as I am a planthopper identifier and never noticed this etymology haha

Alternaria alternata - I were shocked when I came to know of this fungus, the name is so cool.

Spanish for “gar” (fish) is “catán”, just like the hexagonal island in Los Colonos de Catán. The question mark is a comma. The commas are called “mariposas alas de ángel” in Spanish, but the English name for some butterflies in the tribe is “anglewings”, not “angelwings”.

Water penny beetles (Psephenidae) larvae look very unlike most beetle grubs. There’s a beetle genus called Ootheca. I haven’t found out anything about its egg laying habits, but some observations of oothecae of other insects have been misidentified as this. The dancing kiss fly, which belongs to a…

Glory of Texas :cowboy_hat_face: :cow:

[image] phma: The question mark is a comma I were so confused before I understood what was going on here… That is so hilarious.

Irena Dworakowska has named tons of weird names, which are very appreciable: Koperta - envelope Dziwneono - strange (Polish). In particular there is a species Dziwneono etcetera. It indeed it beautiful and I must agree that “it’s strange etcetera” would be a suitable to describe its beauty. Kusa…

Funny, long, or just plain weird animal names

Nature Talk

triceratops_65 February 5, 2026, 6:04pm 889

And who could forget GREMLIN the early Cretaceous ceratopsian?

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Funny, long, or just plain weird animal names

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