I guess killer whale is a really bad name, orca is better! literally all name from whales are pretty bad, I know these names came from whaler time, but, these are so unfair
4 Likes
My family and neighbors call it bacon too.
Iāve heard flying rats for bats. Guess it is a versatile name. :-)
1 Like
Tree Rat = Squirrel
Swamp rat = Muskrat
Speed Goat = Pronghorn Antelope
6 Likes
i like the many images this conjures for me
4 Likes
Where Iām working we have Serow which I call Hillbilly Antelope, but Iām probably the only person in the world who calls them that.
5 Likes
also, where I grew up, gonyleptid harvesten are locally called as onion spiders, because they are pretty smelly lol
1 Like
the Sumatran one looks like a tapir X goat X boar X deer which is silly in of itself. Iām pretty sure Hillbilly Antelope and Speed Goats hang out.
1 Like
The Spanish phrase for peacock is āpavo realā (royal turkey).
And in some languages, German for one, bats are referred to as āflying miceā.
I think the Chinese word for horned owls translates to ācat-head eagle.ā
If you think about it, English ābutterflyā is kind of silly-- what do they have to do with butter?
One of my high school teachers referred to House Sparrows as āMcDonaldsLand Sparrows.ā
And Pete Dunneās Field Guide Companion has a lot of humorous nicknames for birds. The coot, for example, is āBlack Teapot With A White Spout.ā
3 Likes
It is the same in German - Schmetterling can be translated as ācreamlingā. You can find some etymological background on wikipedia or wiktionary.org
1 Like
I actually think a lot of german names for animals would apply here ;-D
We are seemingly not that creativeā¦
https://www.dailyinfographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/VlakL8H.jpg
1 Like
well, literally peacock is pea cock
1 Like
Thinking about other animal names in chinese:
Panda is ēē« which translates to ābear-catā
Hippo is ę²³é©¬ which translates to āriver horseā
Giraffe is éæé¢é¹æ which translates to ālong-neck deerā
Salticidae are known as č·³č which literally means ājumping spiderā but is also known asčč which means āfly tigerā
the list goes onā¦
4 Likes
omg, āfly tigerā is so cool!
@mira_l_b another tool in the enlightenment of the ānope-ersā !
6 Likes
Just as an fyi the āflyā actually refers to Diptera rather than the action (that kinda thickens the mystery a bit), but Iām sure google translate already āexplainedā that to you ;)
1 Like
yeah, I assumed diptera meaningā¦ as in āhunter of fliesāā¦ I watch them on my kitchen windowsill, very much stalking and pouncingā¦ :)
4 Likes
ahhh! that makes sense!
1 Like
weāve always called gulls beach rats
2 Likes
Flap-flap or sea pancake for stingrays.
2 Likes
Iāve often heard of hippos being called river horses.
1 Like