Animal names are usually nothing special—bear, elephant, cat… you get the idea. Straightforward, familiar, and honestly a little boring. But some scientists clearly didn’t want to keep it that way, ...

Q. I notice you sometimes include scientific names of animals in your columns. One time you identified a timber rattlesnake; another time, two turtles (an Alabama redbelly turtle and a stinkpot).

Animal names often say more about the people who coined them than the creatures themselves. Early explorers, sailors, traders, and scientists relied on first impressions, loose comparisons, and ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Scientists estimate there are over 8 million animal species ...