Sometimes animals have names that just don’t make any sense! A Purple finch isn’t purple, not all ladybugs are female, a sea cucumber isn’t an underwater vegetable, and don’t forget silverfish, which definitely aren’t fish! Well, the Crabeater seal isn’t any different.
There are lots of things a Crabeater seal could be named after; their bodies are built for speed and they are one of the fastest seals when moving on land. With around 15 million of them, Crabeater seals have the largest population of all pinniped (aquatic meat-eating mammals with fins for feet like seals, walruses, and sea lions). Their teeth are even specially designed for eating krill (not crab), which makes up about 95% of their diet. Instead of all of these cool traits, the Crabeater seal is named after crabs, a crustacean that isn’t even found in the Antarctic, where these seals live. Oh well! You know what they say…a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.
There are tons of little (and big) critters that are misnamed! Here are a few
The anteater doesn’t eat ants: it eats termites.
The mountain chicken is a FROG. Imagine that!
Glow worms are actually beetles.
The red panda is actually part of the racoon family
Guinea pig: it isn’t a pig, it doesn’t come from the african country, Guinea.
The flying lemur isn’t a lemur, and it doesn’t fly. But, is does glide!
The flying fox is really a bat.
Horny toads are lizards.
Sea Monkeys/sea horses are not monkeys/horses.
Starfish and jellyfish are not fish.
Electric eels classify as fish, but not eels.
(: That’s all!
Jovanna
Great suggestions, what about the bat-eared fox, really these foxes should be called big eared foxes! http://www.earthrangers.com/wildwire/uncategorized/bat-eared-fox/
komodo dragons are not dragons,but they are big like dragons
Thanks!
Another species I just discovered is the Wandering Leg Sausage, which is a very odd name for this Tanzanian millipede which was recently found in the East Ark Mountains.
that Crabeater Seal is so cute and thanks
I wish that they where more cool species!
hi giybdhehehde
I like this so much!
a box jellyfish isn’t a box, Slime Eels aren’t eels, Killer Whales are dolphins, Greenland Sharks actually live in Canada, Barn Owls usually live in trees, basilosaurus means Whale Lizard but you can’t have a whale that is a lizard,
Great list, it would be pretty funny if jellyfish really looked like boxes!
i helping the poler bare
dude the box jelly fish are shaped like boxes and green land is very very very close to canada look on a map guinyess and komodo drangon are drangon there just rwally small dragon the toxics in there mouth if you just blend them right it could acelly make fire.