Buy Metafilter a species!

April 9, 2007 7:26 AM

Are you annoyed that there is no species of blind cave spider named Sinopoda metafilteris or worm salamander named Oedipina bluepepsi? You can fix that for 3,000 Euros at the controversal BIOPAT. For inspiration, the Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature site collects the puns, insults, and other weirdnesses that can be found in the scientific names of various plants and animals [prev.]. Genes are not immune to weird names, especially in the case of the fruitfly, where clever naming is normal; but even better are the world's strangest dinosaur names, which allow you to tremble in fear in front of the bambiraptor and meet the Dragon King of Hogwarts.
posted by blahblahblah (13 comments total)

So, shall we organize a drive for a Metafilter species? And which one from the catalog shall we select?
posted by blahblahblah at 7:35 AM on April 9, 2007

Sadly, none of the available species come in a suitable shade of blue.
posted by Faint of Butt at 8:00 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

From the "controversial" link:

Everyone in Stan Vlasimsky's family has an alter ego in the animal kingdom. A dainty Bolivian orchid, Epidendrum lezlieae, is named for his wife Lezlie.

Uhhh...
posted by squarehead at 8:19 AM on April 9, 2007

I'm liking the world's strangest dinosaur names after spending last night in my parents' house joking that were my stepfather a dinosaur, he would be Tyrannosnorus Rex.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:20 AM on April 9, 2007

I work with a class of genes called Sonic Hedgehog.

Serious.
posted by Redgrendel2001 at 8:35 AM on April 9, 2007

We wouldn't know anything about that, redgrendel.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:01 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

Also, I read the first sentence as "Are you annoyed that there is a species of blind cave spider named Sinopoda metafilteris..." and I was very happy.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:04 AM on April 9, 2007

Bambiraptor made my day.
posted by Alex404 at 9:17 AM on April 9, 2007

I've got a license for my dog Eric, and I've got a license for my ancient marine reptile Eric. Can't be caught out there.

*You don't need a license for an ancient marine reptile!

I've bleedin' got one! *brandishes it*

*This is an ancient marine mammal license with the word "mammal" crossed out and "reptile" written in crayon!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:26 AM on April 9, 2007

I thought quonsar WAS an ancient marine reptile.
posted by wendell at 1:31 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

I hope someone's already stepped up to the plate for testudo aubreii, or I may have to.
posted by Zonker at 4:22 PM on April 9, 2007

*sigh* Using pop-culture references in scientific classification only means that hundreds of years from now (or less) they'll just be a laughable anomaly.

(At least I'm hoping no one will care about Hogwarts by then)..
posted by puppet at 8:45 AM on April 10, 2007

Trilobites are so not dinosaurs.
posted by Eothele at 9:51 AM on April 10, 2007