Binominal Nomenclature: The Art of Naming Living Things

Binominal nomenclature is the scientific naming system used for living things. It was invented by the famous Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, who was a bit of a control freak and liked to name everything himself.

Basically, binominal nomenclature means that every living thing has two names: a genus and a species name. For example, the scientific name for humans is Homo sapiens. Homo is the genus, and sapiens is the species name.

What’s fun about binominal nomenclature is that the scientific names often have surprising origins. For example, the African elephant’s scientific name is Loxodonta africana. Loxodonta comes from the Greek words for “oblique tooth”, which refers to the elephant’s distinctive tusks.

The species name africana simply refers to the fact that the elephant is from Africa, which isn’t very creative. But hey, the poor elephant can’t help where it was born.

Naming new species can be a real challenge, and scientists often have to get creative. In 2012, researchers discovered a new species of frog in the Amazon rainforest. They gave it the name Pristimantis jamescameroni, after the director of the film Avatar, James Cameron. Apparently, the researchers were big fans of the movie, and thought the frog’s bright green color reminded them of the lush rainforests in the film.

Unfortunately, not all scientific names are as fun or creative. Some species have names like Stenella attenuata, which sounds like a prescription medication for aches and pains. And then there’s the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, which is called Borrelia burgdorferi. It sounds like a type of sausage, which is kind of disturbing.

So the next time you hear a scientific name that makes you snicker, remember that binominal nomenclature is serious business. It may not be as exciting as naming a baby, but it’s certainly a unique and important field. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll discover a new species and get to choose its name. Just make sure it’s not something embarrassing like Poopus maximus or Flatulence vulgaris.