Funny, long, or just plain weird animal names

[marina_gorbunova]

love those names

[whaichi]

@elpatitojuan2

But I’m no Korean.

You don’t need to be Korean to understand that not everyone has the same language, culture, and life experiences as you. ;)

[Star3]

I think I remember reading a few years ago that “blue” is one of the last colors to be named/distinguished in the evolution & development of most languages.

[edit: Oops, that’s covered in your wikipedia link]

[elpatitojuan2]

In fact I also learned that recently.

[jasonhernandez74]

@Star3

“blue” is one of the last colors to be named/distinguished in the evolution & development of most languages.

I wonder if there are any languages that have a word for the color orange that isn’t derived from the name of the fruit.

[Star3]

You mean the word as it’s own named color, rather than something that is a composite word of the component colors?
i.e., would you discount hypothetical languages where the color is a transliteration of something like “red-yellow”?

[jasonhernandez74]

@Star3

You mean the word as it’s own named color, rather than something that is a composite word of the component colors?

Yes. In the same way that purple is its own named color, and not a transliteration of something like “red-blue.”

In the Ndonga language of the Namibia-Angola border region, citrus fruits themselves are borrowed, and I think that someone early on got them reversed, because the word for the orange is elemune, which sounds like borrowing “lemon” into Ndonga phonics. And then the word for the color orange is lwelemune – derived from the name of the fruit.

[elpatitojuan2]

Another Hawaiian one: the humuhumunukunukuapua’a! That name is even gloriously better than its scientific name (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)!

[sullivanribbit]

Worse? You mean gloriously better!

[elpatitojuan2]

Harder and funnier I mean…

[whaichi]

@jasonhernandez74

I wonder if there are any languages that have a word for the color orange that isn’t derived from the name of the fruit.

Korean borrows the English 오랜지 (oraenji) for the fruit but has traditionally used 주황/朱黃 (juhwang) for the color, from the Chinese characters 朱=red* + 黃=yellow. However, these days people have started using 오랜지 for the color as well, similar to how the English loanword 핑크 (pingkeu; pink) has been gradually replacing the traditional 분홍/粉紅 (粉 = powder + 紅 = red*).

• Possibly unnecessary addendum:
  朱 and 紅 occupy different hues within the spectrum of the general ‘red’ of English.
  

[elpatitojuan2]

Aaaaaaaah so confusing.

[Star3]

@elpatitojuan2

Another Hawaiian one: the humuhumunukunukuapua’a!

I thought that I remembered reading that name was applied to more than one species, not just Rhinecanthus rectangulus

[elpatitojuan2]

Oh, really?

[gatorhawk]

Ugly Milkcap

Thankless Ghostsnail

Healthy Cuckoo Carder Bee

Big Bottom Bobtail

[whaichi]

‘Cloak-and-Dagger Bees’
Includes species such as:

• Decorated Cloak-and-dagger Bee
• Actor Cloak-and-dagger Bee
• Histrionic Cloak-and-dagger Bee
• Neon Cloak-and-dagger Bee

[mkbthe2nd]

I got a weird one for y’all, chicken of the woods.

[regoggin]

The Cloak-and-Dagger Bees would be a good addition to that other thread about fairytale-like taxon names…

[raymie]

Covid Worm

[fluffyinca]

Map