In ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ William Shakespeare writes, “What’s in a name?’ and these animals would agree. Some people might argue that a name makes you easy to identify, but here are some animals that might disprove them – they’re, through no fault of their own, just named wrong.
1. Electric Eel:
While the electric eel is one of the most popular names when one thinks of an eel – it is not even a ‘true eel.’ It belongs to the order Gymnotiformes and is a type of knife fish.
2. Mountain Chicken:
This animal could have got its name because it tastes a little like chicken, its large size, or its chicken-like squawk. But it’s a frog found in the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat.
While hunting contributed to decreasing numbers, the arrival of a chytrid fungus made this species critically endangered.
3. Peacock Mantis Shrimp:
To be fair, if you look at the resemblances it’s named after – the colorful shell and their hinged forearms – you would understand why these animals are named this way.
However, it’s not an actual shrimp, and it’s clearly not a mantis or peacock. These crustaceans belong to the order Stomatopoda and are related to lobsters and crabs.
4. Flying Lemur:
Like the other entries on this list, this animal’s name only gives you a little accurate information.
The flying Lemur is not a lemur. They appear to be most closely related to primates genetically and are also known as colugos.
And what hurts even more is that they can’t fly – though they can cross impressive distances by gliding.
5. Koala Bear:
Many people are aware that the koala bear is not a bear. It lacks the necessary koala-fications. Australia’s famous (and adorable) marsupial is related to the wombat.
6. Jellyfish:
The jellyfish is not a fish; it isn’t even the same phylum as a fish. They’re both in the same kingdom (Animalia), and everything else differs.
While fish belong to the phylum Chordata, jellyfish belong under Cnidaria. Perhaps we’ve been too fast and loose with the ‘fish’ label.
7. Starfish:
Starfish don’t fall under the Chordata phylum either – funnily, humans belong to the same taxonomic phylum as fishes. Starfish fall under the phylum Echinodermata, along with sea cucumbers.
Some marine scientists have started referring to starfish as sea stars, but the name will probably take longer to catch on.
8. Horned Toad:
As you might’ve guessed, the horned toad, also known as the h*rny toad, is not a toad. It’s not even a frog— maybe we could have excused the misnomer then— it’s a lizard.
Some species can shoot an aimed stream of foul-tasting blood from their eyes when threatened, making them the weirdest lizards.
9. Bearcat:
The bearcat, or binturong, may resemble a bear or cat, but being the only living species of the genus Arctictis, they are technically neither.
It deserves an identity of its own, especially since it’s one of two carnivore species with tails that can grasp things (or a ‘prehensile’ tail).
10. Killer Whale:
While killer whales are known to prey on whale species almost twice their size, they’re the largest members of the dolphin family.
Ancient sailors might have given them the name when they saw them hunting whales, but the name orca (from their scientific name, Orcinus orca) is now used more frequently.
11. Guinea Pigs:
Guinea pigs are obviously not pigs, but they’re not even from Guinea. The origin of their name is much-debated— some believe the name comes from the animals being carried to European markets through ports in Guinea.
Funnily, many languages make this ‘pig’ error – in Portuguese, they’re called ‘porquinhos da Índia’ (little Indian pigs). In Russian, they’re known as ‘morskaya svinka’ (svinka translates to pig).
12. Red-bellied Woodpecker:
This name is more confusing than ‘wrong’ per se, and we could get into a whole bird and animal debate. But it belongs to the kingdom Animalia, so it’s fair game.
Now, to the confusing part – their belly is just lightly red or pink, and a person can only see this feature when the bird is upside-down.
On the other hand, their head has a red patch, so maybe they should have been the redhead woodpecker. But the bird with the ‘red-headed woodpecker’ name also has a striking color, justifying the name.
13. Red Panda:
When you think of a panda, these adorable, bushy-tailed animals probably won’t be the first to cross your mind. They don’t look a lot like the black-and-white pandas because they’re not closely related.
Interestingly, red pandas first got the name’ panda,’ even though their counterparts became more well-known. The “panda” name reportedly came from the Nepali word ‘ponya’.
14. Maned Wolf:
The maned wolf is not a wolf; it physically resembles a fox more than a wolf. However, it isn’t precisely related to foxes either— it’s the only species in the Chrysocyon genus.
The genus name translates to ‘golden dog,’ which makes sense when one finds out that the maned wolf is known for its unique ‘roar-bark.’
15. Flying Fox:
Speaking of animals that look like foxes, the flying fox is a bat. The name fruitbat is also frequently used, but that doesn’t indicate that most of their diet is pollen and nectar. The wingspan of a large flying fox can go up to 1.5 meters (5 feet).
16. Honey Bear:
While honey bears do reach into bees’ nests, honey doesn’t form a significant part of their diet. Instead, honey bears mostly eat fruit – they are frugivorous – and insect larvae.
The animal isn’t a bear, either. The kinkajous (honey bears) fall under the family Procyonidae with raccoons and ringtails. Bears, on the other hand, fall under Ursidae.
17. Slow Worm:
At first glance, one could easily deduce that the slow worm is not a worm (though it is slow). You would assume it’s a snake because it closely resembles it— though it’s actually a legless lizard.
Unlike snakes, the slow worm blinks with eyelids and, like a lizard, can shed its tail when threatened.
18. King Cobra:
When it comes to misnomers, the other entries on the list are worse offenders than this. King Cobras are native to Southeast Asia and are the world’s longest venomous snake.
However, they aren’t ‘true cobras’ because they don’t fall under the family ‘Naja.’ Instead, they’re members of the Ophiophagus (Greek for ‘snake eating’) group.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.