Prime 10 Animals That Have been Initially Referred to as Different Names

Previously, penguins had been referred to as arse-feet as a result of their legs had been nearer to their rear. The identify “arse-feet” was used for any hen that had its toes near its rear, though it initially utilized to the little grebe, a kind of water hen that’s nonetheless generally known as the arsefoot.

The penguin was first described within the 16th century when Admiral Francis Fletcher referred to it as “fowle,” though he famous that the Welsh referred to as it Pengwin. Pengwin is believed to have been from the Latin pinguis (“plump, dense, or fatty”) and referred to the animal’s plump stature. In any other case, it could have been a variant spelling of the Welsh pen gwyn (“white head”), which initially referred to the now extinct nice auk.

If that is so, then it signifies that the good auk (which resembled the penguin) misplaced its identify to the penguin. The penguin and the good auk should not the one animals mired in a naming controversy. Listed below are 10 different animals that was once referred to as one thing else. Like the good auk, some misplaced their names to different animals.

10 Guinea Fowl
Previously Referred to as Turkey

Which turkey got here first—the nation or the hen?

The nation did. The hen was named after the nation. Nonetheless, the turkey we now name turkey shouldn’t be the turkey named after Turkey. Fairly, it’s the lesser-known guinea fowl that was named after Turkey.

The guinea fowl is native to Africa and was launched into Europe by means of the Ottoman Empire, a now-defunct empire that included at present’s Turkey. Europeans referred to as the guinea fowl “turkey cock” or “turkey hen” as a result of they thought it was from Turkey.^[1]

When Europeans arrived in North America, they despatched at present’s turkey again to Europe. It appeared so much like the Ottoman Empire turkey that in addition they began calling it turkey. It later maintained the identify whereas the unique turkey was renamed after Guinea, the West African empire the place it was initially discovered.

In another languages, the turkey is called after the area from which it supposedly originated. Its Portuguese identify means “Peru hen” whereas its Malay identify means “Dutch rooster.” In Turkey, it’s referred to as hindi (“Indian”). Nonetheless, in France, it’s referred to as coq d’Inde (“rooster of India”), which has been shortened to dinde. Each names took place as a result of America was once confused for India at the moment.

9 Turtle (Sea Turtle)
Previously Referred to as Marine Tortoise

Earlier than we delve into this reality, it will be important that we all know the distinction between a tortoise and a turtle. With out going into scientific particulars, tortoises and turtles could be simply distinguished simply by them.

Tortoises have massive, dome-like shells in addition to brief legs and toes. In the meantime, turtles have flatter, streamlined shells and our bodies in addition to flippers and webbed toes. Tortoises are terrestrial animals. Nonetheless, turtles are aquatic animals, though they lay their eggs on land.^[2]

Nonetheless, their variations may understandably turn out to be complicated once we notice that some turtles stay on land and are referred to as tortoises. The turtle and tortoise drawback turns into much more complicated as a result of all tortoises are technically turtles. Once we resolve to name each animals turtles, it’s advisable to check with the land-dwelling tortoise as a land turtle whereas the sea-dwelling turtle ought to be referred to as a sea turtle.

The confusion between turtles and tortoises has been occurring for hundreds of years. Previously, sea turtles or turtles (if we’re calling the land-dwelling variant, tortoise) had been referred to as “marine tortoises.” The identify is from both the French tortue (“turtle”) or tortre (“tortoise”).

It can be crucial that we all know the distinction between the tortoise and the turtle in order that we don’t repeat the motion of the woman who threw a tortoise right into a pond, considering it was a turtle. She will need to have killed the poor animal that she thought she was saving.

8 Cheetah And Leopard
Cheetahs Have been Previously Referred to as Leopards And Leopards Have been Previously Referred to as Pards

Cheetahs had been initially referred to as leopards, whereas leopards had been referred to as pards. Cheetahs had been referred to as leopards as a result of they had been regarded as the hybrid offspring of a lion (leo) and a pard (at present’s leopard). The pard, which initially referred to leopard, is from the Latin pardus (“male panther”).

The cheetah bought its personal identify in 1704 when the Hindi chita, which satirically means “leopard,” was launched into English. The Hindi chita is from the Sanskrit chitraka, which implies “searching leopard” though it additionally referred to “tiger.”

The confusion between the naming of the leopard and the cheetah shouldn’t be but over as a result of cheetahs are nonetheless referred to as “searching leopards.”^[3]

7 Killer Whale
Previously Referred to as Whale Killers

Killer whales are additionally referred to as orcas. Regardless of their identify, they’re not whales however dolphins. Their authentic identify didn’t even attempt to cross them off as whales. They had been initially referred to as “whale killers” by sailors who had noticed them preying on a lot greater marine animals, particularly whales. Whale killer was later reversed to kind the better-sounding killer whale. In Spanish, they’re referred to as ballena asesina (“murderer whale”).^[4]

The identify “orca” may both be from the Latin orca (large-bellied pot or jar) or orc- (“whale”). The scientific identify is Orcinus orca. Orcinus means “belonging to Orcus.” Orcus was the Roman god of the underworld. It’s believed that the identify was given to those animals due to their aggressive and daring methodology of searching.

6 Rabbit
Previously Referred to as Coney

The animals referred to as rabbits at present had been initially referred to as coneys. On the similar time, the time period “rabbit” particularly referred to a younger coney, which we now name package or kitten. “Coney” was derived from conis, the plural of the Anglo-French conil, which implies “long-eared rabbit.”

“Rabbit” overtook “coney” someday within the 19th century when “coney” acquired another meanings. Particularly, “coney” had turn out to be a variant spelling of cunny, which meant “c—nt.”^[5]

Coney wasn’t completely faraway from the English language as a result of it already appeared within the Bible. So, the pronunciation was modified from rhyming with “honey” and “cash” to rhyming with “boney.”

It’s believed that New York’s Coney Island was named after coney (the unique identify for rabbits) as a result of it had a big rabbit inhabitants. The Dutch had been the primary to land on the island, and so they referred to as it “Coney Eylant.”

5 Crimson Panda
Previously Referred to as Panda

Crimson pandas are the unique pandas. The identify is believed to have been from the Nepalese nigalya ponya (“bamboo eater”). Classification issues and the earlier (however faulty) perception that the large panda (which additionally goes by the identify “panda”) was associated to the purple panda made the purple panda lose its identify to its supposedly older brother.

The enormous panda and the purple panda had been believed to belong to the identical household. They had been additionally regarded as carefully associated to bears and raccoons. Each animals had been solely confirmed to be unrelated in 2000. Nonetheless, the purple panda by no means bought its identify again.

The purple panda was nearly referred to as the “wha.” It was first described in 1821 by Main Basic Thomas Hardwicke who wished it to be referred to as “wha” as a result of it made calls that appeared like “wha.”^[6]

Nonetheless, French zoologist Frederic Cuvier had already described and named the purple panda by the point Hardwicke’s paper was printed six years later. Cuvier additionally gave the purple panda its scientific identify, Ailurus fulgens (“purple shining cat”).

4 Panda
Previously Referred to as Parti-Coloured Bear

As we already talked about, purple pandas had been the unique pandas. If that is the case, then shouldn’t big pandas have been referred to as one thing else? Certain! Big pandas had been referred to as parti-colored bears. Once more, the identify is of Nepalese origin, though the English language borrowed it from French. The enormous panda was first described in 1901 although it was first seen by a Westerner in 1869.

The enormous panda was already recognized by the 20th century, though it nonetheless remained unseen. A Common Science journal from September 1920 featured an image of the large panda, which it referred to as the “raccoon bear.” It acknowledged that the large panda was associated to the raccoon regardless of being the scale of a black bear.^[7]

3 Giraffe
Previously Referred to as Camelopard

A giraffe was referred to as a camelopard or a cameleopard till the late 19th century when it took the identify “giraffe.” Camelopard is from the Greek kamelopardalis, which got here from the merger of kamelos (“camel”) and pardalis (“leopard”).

The Greek gave the animal this identify as a result of they thought it resembled a camel and a leopard. Some even believed giraffe was the offspring of a camel and leopard.

The time period “giraffe” was first used within the 16th century. It’s from the French girafe, which is from the Arabic zarafa (which itself is believed to be from the Persian zurnapa). The Persian zurnapa is the merger of two phrases: zurna (“flute”) and pa (“leg”), which referred to the giraffe’s lengthy legs.^[8]

The giraffe nonetheless maintains its supposed camel-leopard hybrid origins. Its scientific identify is Giraffa camelopardalis.

2 Duck-Billed Platypus
Previously Referred to as Duck Mole Or Water Mole

The duck-billed platypus (aka platypus) was initially referred to as “duck mole” or “water mole.” Each names had been derived from the idea that it was some form of amphibious mole. This shouldn’t be stunning as a result of the platypus generated numerous curiosity after its discovery.

In 1799, biologist George Shaw acquired a preserved pattern and suspected that it was the handiwork of some taxidermists who had been as much as some pranks. He—or anybody else for that matter—undoubtedly wasn’t prepared for a wierd animal with a duck invoice, cat pores and skin, and beaver tail.^[9]

It additionally had webbed toes and claws. When it was found to be actual, there was confusion over whether or not the platypus was a mammal, a hen, a reptile, or a unique form of animal completely.

In 1793, Australian Governor John Hunter believed that the platypus was the product of a sequence of matings between all of the animals it resembled. In the meantime, David Collins referred to as it an “amphibious creature of the mole form” in 1797. Right now, we all know that the platypus is an egg-laying mammal.

1 Walrus
Previously Referred to as Morse, Sea Cow, And Sea Elephant

The walrus was initially referred to as morse, though it was typically referred to as the ocean cow or sea elephant. Right now, sea elephant is one other identify for elephant seal whereas sea cow (or Steller’s sea cow) refers to a now-extinct massive mammal that used to stay across the shores of the Komandor Islands within the Bering Sea. The ocean cow was hunted into extinction within the 18th century, 30 years after it was found.^[10]

The origin of the identify “walrus,” which first appeared within the 1600s, is considerably murky. Its etymology was researched for the primary version of the Oxford English Dictionary by J.R.R. Tolkien (of The Lord of the Rings fame) between 1919 and 1920.

Tolkien concluded that “walrus” was derived from the Dutch walros or walrus, which got here from hrosshvalr (“horse whale”). Hrosshvalr is believed to have initially referred to a whale and never a walrus. However the Dutch switched the phrases in order that it grew to become “whale horse” in Dutch. Alternatively, the identify might be from the Outdated English horschwael (“horse-whale”) or the German rosswal.

The post Prime 10 Animals That Have been Initially Referred to as Different Names appeared first on Fanpage Viral.

from Fanpage Viral http://ift.tt/2Dv9rAW