Craziest animal names.

CheeseChameleon1945

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
This is more of what I call, "a silly thread", more than anything, but it's actually a pretty interesting topic to discuss, etymology of animal names is quite intriguing and sometimes can be quite creative naming for certain species, or sometimes some of the laziest names for any animal. But some names can be quite peculiar.
So what strange animal names come to mind?
These names could be unrelated to the animals ecology at all, or could just be flat-out random.

:Note that I'm talking about common names here, not Latin.

Have fun!
 
If crazy animal names are what you want you may wish to look up a small Caribbean wrasse with the scientific name Halichoeres bivittatus...
 
Mind you, have you ever tried explaining British Gulls to a non-birder? Herring Gulls have no particular connection with herrings, Black-headed Gulls have a brown or a white head, while if it has a black head it could be a Mediterranean Gull, not the most common gull in the Mediterranean or a Little Gull, which amazingly is actually small! Common Gulls are hardly ever the most abundant gulls, and any Iceland Gulls we get are visitors from Greenland! No wonder most people call them seagulls, although the true sea gull is the Kittiwake. Everyone following so far?
 
Mind you, have you ever tried explaining British Gulls to a non-birder? Herring Gulls have no particular connection with herrings, Black-headed Gulls have a brown or a white head, while if it has a black head it could be a Mediterranean Gull, not the most common gull in the Mediterranean or a Little Gull, which amazingly is actually small! Common Gulls are hardly ever the most abundant gulls, and any Iceland Gulls we get are visitors from Greenland! No wonder most people call them seagulls, although the true sea gull is the Kittiwake. Everyone following so far?
Yes, names of Many animals can be Highly confusing, Reef fish for example have way to many names that don't really make sense. I can imagine this would be frustrating with gulls. :p
 
does this count? Oh well.

The Hellbender. It sounds like it be a bada*s reptile or something. But nope! It’s a salamander! Okay so... is it poisonous? Or venomous? Nope, just a salamander with a cool weird name.
Of course It counts! Hellbenders are pretty cool, and really do sound like a badass Character. :)
 
Yes, the Hawaiian happy faced spider is quite a delightful animal.
 
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Rock-haunting Ringtail
Screaming Hairy Armadillo
Association Européenne pour l'Etude et la Conservation des Lémuriens' Sportive Lemur
Acrobatic Cavy
Unexpected Cotton Rat
Destructive Pygmy Rice Rat
Distinguished Oldfield Mouse
Strange Big-eared Brown Bat
Ultimate Shrew
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Pitta-like Ground-Roller
Invisible Rail
Inaccessible Rail
Standard-winged Nightjar (the wings do not look standard!)
Diabolical Nightjar
Glowing Puffleg
Swan Goose
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Predicted Antwren
Happy Wren
Perplexing Scrubwren
Growling Riflebird
Oleaginous Hemispingus
Superciliaried Hemispingus
Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter
Sad Flycatcher
Greater Pewee
Strange-tailed Tyrant
Uncertain Worm Lizard
Moist Forest Anole
Good Anole
Lozenge-marked Bicycle-Dragon
Lake Disappointment Dragon
Horrible Spiny Lizard
Bocourt's Terrific Skink
Emo Skink
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
Chicken Turtle
Impressed Tortoise
Mountain Chicken
Problem Squeaker Frog
Mini ature
Mini mum
Mini scule

Hole-in-the-head Frog
Confusing Rocket Frog
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog
Demonic Poison Dart Frog
Pleasing Poison Dart Frog
Salty Rocket Frog
Piping Peeping Frog
Dirty Rainfrog
Pobblebonk
Hellbender
Hell Hollow Salamander
Angry Worm Eel
Unicorn Leatherjacket
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
Snooty Wrasse
Puddingwife
Stripey
Lighting-man Threefin
Super Klipfish
Red Terror
Humpnose Bigeye Bream
Fish Doctor
Mouth Almighty
Old Wife
Real Bastard Trumpeter
Atlantic Spiny Lumpsucker
Abyssal Assfish
Bloater
Rasbora dies
Dr. Fish
Pineapple Fish
Whalehead Dreamer
Red-lipped Batfish
Half-naked Hatchetfish
Obese Dragonfish
Gummy Shark
Tasseled Wobbegong
Genus Ittibittium
Sportinggoods Tryonia
Flamingo Tongue Snail
Little Ass Cowry
Uber Milk Moon Snail
Desirable Flabellina
Orange-peel Dorid
Pikachu Nudibranch
Jolly Green Giant
Bus Stop Nudibranch
California Bonfire
Leaf Sheep
Obese Pond Snail
Ba humbugi
Changeable Mantleslug
Yam Babybody Snail
Flower Vase Cock-eyed Squid
Wonderpus
Fatmucket
Green Floater
Spectaclecase
Electric Fireclam
Sorting Hat Spider (scientific name is Eriovixia gryffindori)
Alien Butt Spider (AKA Outstanding Orbweaver)
Sombrero Spider
No-eyed Big-eyed Spider
Sparklemuffin
Queen-of-the-Huntsmen
David Bowie Spider
Stephen Colbert's Trapdoor Spider
Barack Obama's Trapdoor Spider
Mule Fat Blister Mite
Wretched Olethreutes
Deceptive Apotomis
Ugly-nest Caterpillar Moth
Exasperating Platynota
Batman Moth
Edible Monkey
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth
Restricted Demon
Chocolate Demon
Redundant Skipper
Mountain Sandman
Google-eyed Eighty-eight
Neglected Eighty-eight
Battling Glider
Question Mark
Pirate
Orange-breasted Freak
American Snout
Sad Underwing
White Witch
Agreeable Tiger Moth
Police Car Moth
The Uncertain
Slowpoke Moth
Confused
Grateful Midget
The Clay
Unknown Waistcoat
The Brick
The Chestnut
Adorable Brocade
Hologram Moth
The Sorcerer
Delightful Dagger
Poetry Moth
Joker
Pikachu Moth
Dwarf Pug
Bad-wing Moth
Flax Windowmaker
Clara's Satin Moth
Coffee-loving Pyrausta
Donald Trump Moth
The Lackey
Drinker Moth
Cephalonomia pinkfloydi
Beewolf
Aha ha
Pison eu

Unequal Cellophane Bee
Dilemma Orchid Bee
Sad Cuckoo Leafcutter Bee
Miserable Mining Bee
Grandfather's Wood Ant
Cautious Ant
Polistes instabilis
Lucius Malfoy Wasp
American Crudely-craved Warrior Beetle
Moderately Smooth Warrior Beetle
Black Clock
Agra vation
Agra cadabra
Anophthalmus hitleri

Odd Beetle
Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle
Diabolical Ironclad Beetle
Pie-dish Beetle
UFO Darkling Beetle
Pleasing Fungus Beetle
Gelae donut
Gelae fish
Gelae bean

Slightly Musical Conehead
Differential Grasshopper
Black Friday
Alarm Clock Squawker
Ebony Boghaunter
Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp
Pieza pie
Pieza kake
Pieza rhea

Hanging Thief
Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides
Mediterranean Shame-faced Crab
Lawn Shrimp
Killer Shrimp
Baked Bean
Ice Cream Cone Worm
Disorderly-bristled Stumpy Earthworm
Giant Thorny-headed Worm of Swine
Fried Egg Jelly
Headless Chicken Monster
Bloodbelly Comb Jelly

And the best one of them all:

























Genus Anticlimax
 
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Rock-haunting Ringtail
Screaming Hairy Armadillo
Association Européenne pour l'Etude et la Conservation des Lémuriens' Sportive Lemur
Acrobatic Cavy
Unexpected Cotton Rat
Destructive Pygmy Rice Rat
Distinguished Oldfield Mouse
Strange Big-eared Brown Bat
Ultimate Shrew
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Pitta-like Ground-Roller
Invisible Rail
Inaccessible Rail
Standard-winged Nightjar (the wings do not look standard!)
Diabolical Nightjar
Glowing Puffleg
Swan Goose
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Predicted Antwren
Happy Wren
Perplexing Scrubwren
Growling Riflebird
Oleaginous Hemispingus
Superciliaried Hemispingus
Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter
Sad Flycatcher
Greater Pewee
Strange-tailed Tyrant
Uncertain Worm Lizard
Moist Forest Anole
Good Anole
Lozenge-marked Bicycle-Dragon
Lake Disappointment Dragon
Horrible Spiny Lizard
Bocourt's Terrific Skink
Emo Skink
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko
Chicken Turtle
Impressed Tortoise
Mountain Chicken
Problem Squeaker Frog
Mini ature
Mini mum
Mini scule

Hole-in-the-head Frog
Confusing Rocket Frog
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog
Demonic Poison Dart Frog
Pleasing Poison Dart Frog
Salty Rocket Frog
Piping Peeping Frog
Dirty Rainfrog
Pobblebonk
Hellbender
Hell Hollow Salamander
Angry Worm Eel
Unicorn Leatherjacket
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
Snooty Wrasse
Puddingwife
Stripey
Lighting-man Threefin
Super Klipfish
Red Terror
Humpnose Bigeye Bream
Fish Doctor
Mouth Almighty
Old Wife
Real Bastard Trumpeter
Atlantic Spiny Lumpsucker
Abyssal Assfish
Bloater
Rasbora dies
Dr. Fish
Pineapple Fish
Whalehead Dreamer
Red-lipped Batfish
Half-naked Hatchetfish
Obese Dragonfish
Gummy Shark
Tasseled Wobbegong
Genus Ittibittium
Sportinggoods Tryonia
Flamingo Tongue Snail
Little Ass Cowry
Uber Milk Moon Snail
Desirable Flabellina
Orange-peel Dorid
Pikachu Nudibranch
Jolly Green Giant
Bus Stop Nudibranch
California Bonfire
Leaf Sheep
Obese Pond Snail
Ba humbugi
Changeable Mantleslug
Yam Babybody Snail
Flower Vase Cock-eyed Squid
Wonderpus
Fatmucket
Green Floater
Spectaclecase
Electric Fireclam
Sorting Hat Spider (scientific name is Eriovixia gryffindori)
Alien Butt Spider (AKA Outstanding Orbweaver)
Sombrero Spider
No-eyed Big-eyed Spider
Sparklemuffin
Queen-of-the-Hutsmen
David Bowie Spider
Stephen Colbert's Trapdoor Spider
Barack Obama's Trapdoor Spider
Mule Fat Blister Mite
Wretched Olethreutes
Deceptive Apotomis
Ugly-nest Caterpillar Moth
Exasperating Platynota
Batman Moth
Edible Monkey
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth
Restricted Demon
Chocolate Demon
Redundant Skipper
Mountain Sandman
Google-eyed Eighty-eight
Neglected Eighty-eight
Battling Glider
Question Mark
Pirate
Orange-breasted Freak
American Snout
Sad Underwing
White Witch
Agreeable Tiger Moth
Police Car Moth
The Uncertain
Slowpoke Moth
Confused
Grateful Midget
The Clay
Unknown Waistcoat
The Brick
The Chestnut
Adorable Brocade
Hologram Moth
The Sorcerer
Delightful Dagger
Poetry Moth
Joker
Pikachu Moth
Dwarf Pug
Bad-wing Moth
Flax Windowmaker
Clara's Satin
Coffee-loving Pyrausta
Donald Trump Moth
The Lackey
Drinker Moth
Cephalonomia pinkfloydi
Beewolf
Aha ha
Pison eu

Unequal Cellophane Bee
Dilemma Orchid Bee
Sad Cuckoo Leafcutter Bee
Miserable Mining Bee
Grandfather's Wood Ant
Cautious Ant
Polistes instabilis
Lucius Malfoy Wasp
American Crudely-craved Warrior Beetle
Moderately Smooth Warrior Beetle
Black Clock
Agra vation
Agra cadabra
Anophthalmus hitleri

Odd Beetle
Twice-stabbed Lady Beetle
Diabolical Ironclad Beetle
Pie-dish Beetle
UFO Darkling Beetle
Pleasing Fungus Beetle
Gelae donut
Gelae fish
Gelae bean

Slightly Musical Conehead
Differential Grasshopper
Black Friday
Alarm Clock Squawker
Ebony Boghaunter
Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp
Pieza pie
Pieza kake
Pieza rhea

Hanging Thief
Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides
Mediterranean Shame-faced Crab
Lawn Shrimp
Killer Shrimp
Baked Bean
Ice Cream Cone Worm
Disorderly-bristled Stumpy Earthworm
Giant Thorny-headed Worm of Swine
Fried Egg Jelly
Headless Chicken Monster
Bloodbelly Comb Jelly

And the best one of them all:

























Genus Anticlimax
Thanks for the amazing list @birdsandbats! I have to say I've heard of quite a lot of those animals, but there are some I havent' and I can't wait to divulge farther into those fascinating species. Quite a long list, I would have had fun making that for sure.
 
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