What’s in a name?
Have you ever considered how plants and animals get their names? I mean, whoever came up with the names for the hippopotamus, crocodile or elephant? It all sounds Greek to me! Well, actually, many of the names of wildlife we take for granted are rooted in Greek. Let’s take the hippo we’ve just mentioned. Many will know that the hippo’s scientific name Hippopotamus amphibious is Latin derived from ancient Greek meaning ‘horse of the river that lives on land and in the water’. Quite a mouthful whichever way you look at it. The crocodile is seemingly a Greek too; krokódilos means ‘lizard’. But it needn’t get too technical all the time. The warthog, for example, is commonly named as such simply because he is a pig with warts on his face! But seriously, his scientific name is Phacochoerus africanus; Phacochoerus coming from two Greek words, phakos meaning a mole or a wart, and khoiros meaning ‘pig or hog’. His species name tells us where he’s from.
The cheetah’s name is derived from the Hindustani Urdu and Hindi word ćītā which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word chitra-ya meaning ‘adorned’ or ‘painted’ describing the pelt patterns. Its scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus; Acinonyx being a combination of two Greek words akinitos meaning ‘unmoved’ or ‘motionless’ and onyx meaning ‘nail’. Roughly put together this becomes ‘immoveable nails’, a reference to the adult cheetah’s inability to retract its claws. This physical characteristic plays an important role in the cheetah’s survival strategy since it relies upon speed and not strength to catch its prey. Having claws that are permanently extended saves energy and maximises traction in the chase. It is also the reason why despite being a cat, the cheetah is taxonomically removed from its other feline cousins. Its specific name jubatus is Latin for crested, describing the thin ridge of darkened hair on its nape.
Looking to the skies, the extremely attractive bateleur gets its name from an Old French word meaning ‘tightrope walker’ or ‘street performer’, a reference to the distinctive side-to-side rocking flight behaviour as a result of its shortened tail feathers. Looking closer, the bataleur’s scientific name is Terathopius ecaudatus; Terathopius is Greek meaning ‘marvellous face’ and ecaudatus translates to ‘without a tail’. French zoologist François Daudin was certainly in poetic mood when he named the bateleur in 1800. Interestingly, legend has is that the bateleur may be the origin of the Zimbabwe Bird, the national emblem of Zimbabwe.
Turning our attention to trees, the translations of their scientific names can also be quite colourful. The species name of the tall, brightly coloured fever tree we find in low-lying wetter regions of the Kruger Acacia xanthophloea means ‘yellow bark’. And its common name contains a story too: early European settlers observed that they contracted malarial fever when in the vicinity of these trees and so apportioned the blame to them. However, as we commonly know now it is because mosquitos thrive in wet, swampy areas where fever trees themselves favour. The jackal-berry is another common tree we find in the Kruger. Growing incredibly tall, sometimes up to twenty five metres in height and located predominantly along water courses, the jackal-berry gets its common name from the oft-times omnivorous black-backed jackal who enjoys eating the fallen fruit. Its scientific name is made up of Diospyros (meaning divine pear) mespiliformis (mesos meaning half and pilos meaning bullet, referring to the shape of the fruit).
The aim of my blogs is to get the reader to scratch beneath the surface. Delving deeper and deeper into the natural world will enlighten the nature lover to its many complex yet fascinating strata. The rewards to such learning will be a better understand and a greater appreciation of ecology. During the approaching Christmas holidays when driving or walking in the Kruger, take the time to look beyond what is obvious and peel back the various layers. You won’t be disappointed.
