Gallery: More Species Should Have Awesome Names Like Rasberry Crazy Ant
01rasberry-crazy-ant
There are many approaches to naming animals, but we prefer names that describe the thing that makes each animal different. If an animal acts crazy or looks like a blob, say so in the name. If it has a really big head, put "big head" in the name. These names are more fun, more memorable and make more sense. Inspired by news that the Rasberry crazy ant was identified for the first time today as the species *Nylanderia fulva* in [a paper in PLOS ONE](http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045314), we've made a list of some of our favorite common names for animals. Often these names are weird, and usually attached to equally bizarre organisms. If we missed your favorite, let us know in the comments. Rasberry Crazy Ant ------------------ The Rasberry crazy ant is an invasive species that has been spotted around Texas for the last decade or so. The common name has nothing to do with fruit, coming from exterminator Tom Rasberry, who first noticed the tiny pests. The crazy part of their name comes from their erratic movements. These ants appear to be crazy. A paper published today reveals that the ants have already made their way to all Gulf Coast states. *Image: Rasberry crazy ants compete with a pill bug for a cliff bar in Texas. [Bert Marshall](http://www.flickr.com/photos/baytownbert/5835395161/)/Flickr*
02lionhead-rabbit
Lionhead Rabbit --------------- Unlike the legendary [esquilax](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/esquilax), the lionhead rabbit is a real thing. It is [a new breed of rabbit](http://www.lionhead.us/) with compact body and a long mane of hair around its head. Basically, its whole body looks like a lion's head. The British Rabbit Council considers them to be [a fancy breed](http://www.thebrc.org/standards.htm). *Image: [rabbit\_mage](http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabbitmage/4074041635/)/Twitter.*
03dumbo-octopus
Dumbo Octopus ------------- The [strange-looking octopuses](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Grimpoteuthis) of the genus *Grimpoteuthis* all have little white flaps on either side of their bodies, making them look like the flying Disney elephant. Rather than perform in the circus, these organisms float through the pitch-black bathypelagic zone, located 10,000 to 13,000 feet below sea level. Being among the deepest-living octopuses, these creatures have rarely been seen and little is known about their life cycle. *Image: Still shot from video. [NOAA Fisheries](http://access.afsc.noaa.gov/MultimediaGallery/details.php)*
04goggle-eye-bass-2
Goggle-Eye Bass --------------- The [goggle-eye bass](http://www.missouriscenicrivers.com/Rockbass.html), also known by its less interesting name “rock bass,” lives in lakes and streams throughout the eastern portions of Canada and the United States. Its better name is probably based on the fact that its eyes look like goggles. The fish are typically brown or olive-colored but can change color to match their surroundings. They can live 10 years and are known to fisherman to be relatively easy to catch. *Image: [Vincent Parsons](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrtickles/2690671327/)/Flickr*
05aye-aye
Aye-Aye ------- The [aye-aye](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/aye-aye/) (*Daubentonia madagascariensis*) is a lemur native to Madagascar that looks like a jungle opossum you might stumble across in a nightmare. The strange name is derived either from a vocalization that the animal makes or the frightened sound that European explorers made when first encountering one. The species is famous for having one long finger that they use to tap on tree trunks, listening to the sound to determine if they contain insect grubs. If it hears something, the aye-aye will use this same finger to dig into small holes and pull out its tasty treat. *Image: [Frank Vassen](http://www.flickr.com/photos/42244964@N03/3897947810)/Flickr*
06yeti-crab
Yeti Crab --------- This fuzzy, white crustacean is known as the Yeti Crab and is relatively new to science. Discovered in 2005, the crab lives at the bottom of the ocean near deep-sea vents. More recently, scientists have determined that the creature uses is majestic white fur [to cultivate bacteria](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/yeti-crab-arms-food/), which it then eats. *Image: “Dancing for Food in the Deep Sea: Bacterial Farming by a New Species of Yeti Crab,” Thurber, A. R. et al, [PLOS ONE](http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0026243), Nov 30, 2011.*
07little-mountain-monkey
Little Mountain Monkey ---------------------- The monito del monte, or [little mountain monkey](http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=42), is little and lives in the mountains Argentina and Chile. Also, it looks like a monkey, even though it's actually a tiny marsupial no bigger than a mouse. It has a prehensile tail and feeds on insects, primarily residing in nests that it builds in tree hollows and bamboo shoots. *Image: [José Luis Bartheld](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monito_del_Monte_ps6.jpg)/Wikimedia*
08naked-mole-rat
Naked Mole Rat -------------- Having both a NSFW name and appearance, the [naked mole rat](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/naked-mole-rat/) is one of the strangest mammals on the planet. These burrowing rodents live naked as the day they were born in female-led colonies underground. They are something like rats that resemble naked moles. Atypical for mammals, naked mole rats have an ant-like “queen” who produces all the pups in a colony while other females remain sterile. Worker mole rats then obtain food and maintain the underground tunnels. If that wasn’t weird enough, naked mole rats are also [extremely long-lived](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/longlivingrat/) for their size: staying alive for up to 28 years. They have never been observed to develop cancer, making them targets for oncology research, and lack the neurotransmitter responsible for sending pain signals through the nervous system. *Image: [Trisha M Shears](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Naked_Mole_Rat_Eating.jpg)/Wikimedia*
09hellbender
Hellbender ---------- The [hellbender](http://www.hellbenders.org/The_Hellbender_Homepage/Home.html) is a giant species of salamander native to the Ozark mountains of eastern North America. Seeming to collect strange names, they [are also known as](http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/select-a-region/north-america/amphibians/salamanders-and-newts/cryptobranchus-alleganiensis) allegheny alligators, devil dogs, mollyhuggers, mud cats, snot-otters, and grampuses. Hellbenders are strictly aquatic, coming out at night to feed on crayfish. The largest hellbender was recorded at nearly two and a half feet long. *Image: [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region](http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmidwest/5371066350/in/photostream/)/Flickr*
10chicken-turtle
Chicken Turtle -------------- Though its name might confuse Jessica Simpson, the [chicken turtle](http://srelherp.uga.edu/turtles/deiret.htm) looks like a pretty ordinary turtle. The name actually refers to the way they supposedly taste, coming from when their meat was popular in markets in the southern U.S. The turtles live in freshwater ponds and can be identified by their extremely long necks and vertical yellow stripes on the “seat of their pants.” *Image: [Gabriel Kamener](http://www.flickr.com/photos/gkamener/3373541964/)/Flickr*
11big-headed-turtle
Big-Headed Turtle ----------------- The [big-headed turtle’s](http://www.unc.edu/~dtkirkpa/stuff/bigheads.html) Latin name, *Platysternon megacephalum*, translates to mean “big-headed flat-chest,” and that’s probably the most apt description of the species. Found in southeast Asia, the reptile has such a big head that it can’t pull it into its own shell, which seems counterproductive to say the least. The creatures are also known to ascend trees, using their beaks to climb. *Image: [Hanumann](http://www.flickr.com/photos/40883475@N00/4196370975/)/Flickr*
12jesus-lizard
Jesus Lizard ------------ Savior to all lizardkind, the [Jesus lizard](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1116_041116_jesus_lizard_2.html), or basilisk, gets its funny name from its ability to run on water. Running at a top speed of about 3.5 miles per hour, the creatures skim over the surface of a lake to get away from predators. This seemingly miraculous task comes from forces generated when the lizard’s feet slap the water’s surface. *Image: [nealoneal](http://www.flickr.com/photos/gkamener/3373541964/)/Flickr*
13star-nosed-mole
Star-Nosed Mole --------------- With a name as odd as it looks, the [star-nosed mole](http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Condylura_cristata.html) might win for weirdest appendage in the animal kingdom. Native to eastern Canada and the United States, this creature has a starfish-like touch-sensitive organ sitting on its face, which lets the mole feel its way around in the dark underground world it lives. Each “finger” of this appendage is covered in tiny domes called [Eimer’s organs](http://the-scientist.com/2012/09/01/a-nose-for-touch/) that respond to pressure, vibration, and directions of movement. *Image: [Wikimedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Condylura.jpg)*
14pink-fairy-armadillo
Pink Fairy Armadillo -------------------- Sounding like a completely made-up creature, the [Pink Fairy Armadillo](http://armadillo-online.org/chlamyphorus.html) is the world’s smallest armadillo and is native to central Argentina. True to its name, the little critter is covered in pale pink armor. It typically burrows underground, searching for grubs and insects. *Image: [Ryan Somma](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideonexus/2169081935/)/Flickr*
15blobfish
Blobfish -------- It’s a good thing that animals never know the names we humans have devised for them. If the [blobfish](http://fishindex.blogspot.com/2009/02/blobfish-psychrolutes-marcidus.html) somehow did possess this capacity, it would surely protest our common name for it. Admittedly, these creatures – only seen in deep water below 2,000 feet around Australia – are distinctly blob-like. The fish is mostly a gelatinous mass with a honking huge nose that floats through the water, eating whatever drifts in front of it. *Image: [NOAA](http://access.afsc.noaa.gov/MultimediaGallery/photos/race-gallery_psyphrthree_lg.jpg)*
