Nutty Nomenclature
All species of organism are given their own specific name by the taxonomist who first describes them. Every now and again the taxonomists allow themselves to have a little bit of fun. This is our guide to some more mischievously named species.
Name: Ninjemys oweni
Don’t get it? Emys is Latin for turtle. Ninje is Japanese for ninja. Awesome!
What is it? A fossil turtle.
Where was it found? Queensland, Australia. It dates from the Pleistocene epoch - between 1.8 million and 11,500 years ago.
When was it first named? 1992.
Who deserves the credit? Palaeontologist Eugene S. Gaffney from the American Museum of Natural History. In his scientific description of the beast, he unashamedly admits that the genus name is a homage "to that totally rad, fearsome foursome epitomizing shelled success". Could this be the only reference of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in scientific literature? We reckon so.
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Is there a picture? This is a cast of the fearsome beast's skull, which currently resides in Paris (click the image to enlarge). With thick, sharp spikes covering its head, it's a wonder Ninjemys ever went extinct. Check out some other weird species names here.
Null's other regular features:
Monday: Phunny Phobias
Wednesday: Doctor Doctor
Thursday: Peculiar Periodicals
Friday: End of week timewasters
Skull:Ghedo/W
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