Confused or not confused

[adrian1963]

I was just wondering if someone could explain why different collections call the same species different names and why their isn’t a standard name throughout all collection for the same species the example I will use will be African Wild dog or Paint Dog why not the same name as this is one species and not two.

This can be confusing to a regular zoo goer let alone someone new to going to visiting different zoo’s Birds are a prime example as each country as a different name for the same species but to have the same species named differently in the same country is something completely different.

Can’t the people who run animal collection just sit down and say right we look a little stupid to the public by calling the same species different names so let’s all call them the same or is this to simple.

Anyone else find this confusing or is it just me

 

[Maguari]

I was just wondering if someone could explain why different collections call the same species different names and why their isn’t a standard name throughout all collection for the same species the example I will use will be African Wild dog or Paint Dog why not the same name as this is one species and not two.

This can be confusing to a regular zoo goer let alone someone new to going to visiting different zoo’s Birds are a prime example as each country as a different name for the same species but to have the same species named differently in the same country is something completely different.

Can’t the people who run animal collection just sit down and say right we look a little stupid to the public by calling the same species different names so let’s all call them the same or is this to simple.

Anyone else find this confusing or is it just me

This is exactly why we have scientific names. To take your example, African Wild Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Painted Dog and all its possible combinations are all Lycaon pictus.

Common names will never be standard in English. And this isn't just zoos, but any environment where animals are involved - from birdwatching (Dunnock/Hedge Sparrow, Little Grebe/Dabchick) to pet shops (Syrian Hamster/Golden Hamster, Hong Kong Plec/Coldwater Algae-Eater).

Scientific names are not quite immutable, but their very first function is to account for the variability of common names - both within languages and between - and give a species a 'standard' name.

 

[Stefka]

Sorry for promoting EOL again, but they do quite a good job in trying to list all the common names of a species and highlighting the most preferred one.

Lycaon pictus on EOL:
Common Names for African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) - Encyclopedia of Life

 

[Chlidonias]

Sorry for promoting EOL again, but they do quite a good job in trying to list all the common names of a species and highlighting the most preferred one.

what makes a common name "the most preferred one"?

 

[Stefka]

what makes a common name "the most preferred one"?

I believe is based on which of the names is commonly used by other organizations. When you look at the link I posted, the "African wild dog" is marked as "preferred", because it´s used at Catalogue of Life, IUCN, Integrated Taxonomic Information System, uBio, uBio Project.. It doesn´t mean that the other names are "wrong", all the other names are marked as "trusted" as well.

 

[Pertinax]

what makes a common name "the most preferred one"?

There's also a 'fashionable' element too. Afaik African/Cape Hunting dogs were never referred to as 'Painted' until after a couple of T.V. movies circa 80's-90's era gave them this title for dramatic effect. After that this name seemed to stick.

 

[Lesley4444]

I thought they were called painted dogs instead of wild dogs to take away the 'stigma' that they had with that title of wild dogs. Makes them more 'special' and make them more appeal able to the general public.

 

[Pertinax]

I thought they were called painted dogs instead of wild dogs to take away the 'stigma' that they had with that title of wild dogs. Makes them more 'special' and make them more appeal able to the general public.

I think any stigma attatched to them was because of their rather brutal(to some people) way of killing their prey, though its really very similar to the way true wolves attack. Its one of the reasons they were regarded as 'vermin' in Africa to be shot and killed until not so long ago and I think the term 'painted' was used for the reasons you suggest, to improve their image. But I still think it stemmed from the T.V. documentary titles as thats about when it first appeared.

 

[Pootle]

I think any stigma attatched to them was because of their rather brutal(to some people) way of killing their prey, though its really very similar to the way true wolves attack. Its one of the reasons they were regarded as 'vermin' in Africa to be shot and killed until not so long ago and I think the term 'painted' was used for the reasons you suggest, to improve their image. But I still think it stemmed from the T.V. documentary titles as thats about when it first appeared.

Yes, this different way that the African Hunting Dogs and Wolves kill their prey is why you rarely see kills by these species on TV documentaries, where as just about everyone has watched how big cats kills their prey. Watching a pack of dogs physically exhaust their prey then disembowel it doesn't fit as well as the suffocation technique of the big cats (which is often edited to make it seem much quicker than it is for TV purposes).