Funny common names

[gypsy cola]

this could be turned into a pretty fun game.

Make up a common name and see if any other members can guess what it. The one who guess right can then make up a common. So on and so forth.

Someone else can make that into a post or something. Too lazy.

 

[TomKemp]

My wife gets irritated when I spout off the Latin names because she has no idea what I'm talking about. "Yes honey, The blue one" lol.

 

[saturnthegrey]

I have to use common names when I talk to my fiancé about them but I mix in the Latin so she'll subtly start knowing them. "One of the vagans molted, you know the red rumps." So far she seems to remember what a few species are when I use the Latin names.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

this could be turned into a pretty fun game.

Make up a common name and see if any other members can guess what it. The one who guess right can then make up a common. So on and so forth.

Someone else can make that into a post or something. Too lazy.

You may be on to something...

 

[gypsy cola]

You may be on to something...

I am making the game/post

 

[Tenevanica]

You can't imagine the double backflips I have to do when explaining my T's (or other inverts) to guests. "Yes, that's Lasiodora parahybana." "Lasio-what?" they reply. "It's a salmon pink birdeater." Then they jump back and shout, "OMG YOU FEED IT BIRDS?" Yup, I feed that tiny sling birds.

I've been told before that I come off as condescending and stand-offish when I use scientific names. I try to explain to people that it's about accuracy, and that when working with any animal it's important to know exactly what species you're dealing with. They don't see why I can't be just as accurate using the "normal" names. I give up at that point.

I must also add that scientific names are not "Latin names." Scientific binomials have Greek and Germanic roots and such in them as well, not just Latin. To quote Stan Shultz: "Latin names are what Catholic priests call each other. They are not what we scientifically classify organisms as."

 

[NJarachnidFan]

I mean I see both sides of the argument I was first into T's as a kid and back then other then the ones found in pet shops I found what T's were available in the hobby through a few SASE(self addressed stamped envelope) pricelist I would send away for by mail in the 90's that would advertise in Reptiles magazine. From what I remember while they mostly all had species names they always had a common name next to them. So even back then since it was harder for me to remember Latin names I memorized common names.

After all my T's died of old age I kind of got out of the hobby due to a significant other who didn't care for my hobbies I didn't research anymore since I didn't own any. When I tried to get back into it after we broke up I noticed how much more into species names the hobby had gotten over the years and I felt like I was starting from scratch trying to remember scientific names as best I could (still learning).

I think the thing that frustrates people who memorize species names is if you been used to scientific names so long you forget how hard it is to not use common names when you are getting into this hobby since other then invertebrates in general most other pets common names are the accepted name. So when you ask questions both sides get frustrated since neither have a clue what the other is talking about.