Interesting thing about "Baboon spiders"

[The Grym Reaper]

And if a common name were used by everyone everywhere then it would be exactly the same.

This will literally never happen due to language barriers and so on.

I won't even use the "obvious" common names you mentioned in conversation, the only reason I even include them in my social media posts is so that I don't get asked "What's the common name?" because the less unimportant questions I have to answer the better.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

BABOONS!

 

[ColeopteraC]

BABOONS!

 

[EpicEpic]

There's a reason that Latin names are already the same in every country in the world, and common names vary depending on where you are in the United States/Europe etc. nevermind the world!

Geography + Language barriers always have and always will keep common names different even though we are speaking about the same species.

[Ofcourse there are those <1% of exceptions...OBT, GBB, ETC....but FEW and FAR between]

Plus latin names tell you what GENUS the spider is in which is CRITICAL and USEFUL information.

 

[Smotzer]

Common names are commonly wrong....latin names are usually right. Ill go with usually right over commonly wrong any day of the week.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

BABOONS!

 

[basin79]

 

[DomGom TheFather]

I like how this is turning out. It is like adding a dye to the solution to find out who is " one of those "

 

[viper69]

So I've been reading this forum long enough to know that common names should not be used and that it can lead to confusion.

However, a recent thread by another user about their "blue baboon" specimen kind of pushed me to look into this particular common name.

I had always wondered why the so called "baboon" tarantulas were not all in the same genus. Even knowing that common names are not used by knowledgeable keepers, it seemed odd to me that "baboons" are spread among several genus.

What I found was interesting to me and I was wondering if anyone here, with more knowledge than myself, could confirm if the explanation I found is true or if anyone has anything else to add.

The explanation I found was: "Baboon" is the term given to T's in Africa and they are referred to as tarantulas by the Americans (and I guess elsewhere in the world). The common name comes from the hairy appearance of the spider and from the pads of the spider's "feet” which resemble the color and texture of that of a baboon's finger, and has nothing to do with a particular species or genus.

So it seems that particular common name is merely geographically based. Whether that's it or there's more to add or not, I thought it was kind of interesting.

This is the same info I read by another here about 8 yrs ago.


When you read foreign T sites as I do at times, you’ll see “a new baboon spider was discovered” or “bird spider”

 

[viper69]

This will literally never happen due to language barriers and so on.

I won't even use the "obvious" common names you mentioned in conversation, the only reason I even include them in my social media posts is so that I don't get asked "What's the common name?" because the less unimportant questions I have to answer the better.

Are you interested in buying a Mexican Red, I hear it’s a new species!

 

[Sgt7212]

Are you interested in buying a Mexican Red, I hear it’s a new species!

Obviously not the same thing, but this thread (and that post in particular) just finally made me realize why Harley uses call letters for our models along with common names. There is a Softail Fat Boy which is an FLFBS, and there is a Softail Slim which is an FLSL... yet I can't even count the number of times a customer comes in looking for "a Fatboy Slim" or some other butchered up combination resulting from Frankenstein-ing several model names together.

 

[KenD]

Oh, I know.
I get it.
But it is more than possible to do the same with common names. Everybody agreed on Latin. Ok. I label my enclosures with it. I text it in any read conversation when I am being specific. But if you ask me in person or if the species has been agreed upon, then I am going to use the word baboon every time.

Common names would be different in different countries. Not everyone speaks English.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

And Latin is a dead language.
Baboons!

 

[KenD]

And Latin is a dead language.
Baboons!

Not so dead in science.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Lmao.

 

[KenD]

Lmao.

We could use something like Oranssi paviaanihämähäkki for the Pterinochilus murinus. Would that be easier?

 

[DomGom TheFather]

We could use something like Oranssi paviaanihämähäkki for the Pterinochilus murinus. Would that be easier?

I like it.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Baboons

bAbOoNs

 

[EpicEpic]

Common names would be different in different countries. Not everyone speaks English.

In my 2nd language Greek it would be

Portokali Vavouinos

Latin is far from dead, when the WHOLE PLANET not only agrees on it but USES it to describe spiders (and other animals) to the point of no confusion.

Why on earth would anyone want that to change? lol!

 

[DomGom TheFather]

In my 2nd language Greek it would be

Portokali Vavouinos

Latin is far from dead, when the WHOLE PLANET not only agrees on it but USES it to describe spiders (and other animals) to the point of no confusion.

Why on earth would anyone want that to change? lol!

Even I can use it. There are no native speakers of Latin. Thus it is a dead language.
I would change everything if I could but Latin it is.

BABOONS!