scientific names

It should come as no surprise to anyone that many common zoo animals have multiple common names. It seems, however, that these multi-name species fall into different categories: 1. Species that zoos seem to use the names interchangeably. For instance, some zoos may sign a "puma", while others...

Favourite Scientific Names What are our favourite Scientific names for species we see in zoos? My top three (in no particular order) would have to be: 1. Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius): This appeals to me as a Sagittarius and a Slytherin. 2. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus): What...

The main argument in support of technical names is of course their stability compared to common names, but this is often overly exaggerated by books on natural history. In reality, splits, lumps and preference can make old and trusted names invalid. I was recently looking through some documents...

Which scientific names do you think are the most fun to say? Personally, I like Lama glama and Hypostomus plecostomus.