Vampiroteuthis infernalis – the vampire squid. Jennifer Kennedy, M.S., is an environmental educator specializing in marine life. From sharks and sea turtles to ecosystems and corals, you’re in the right place to take a deep dive into life under the sea. Go on amazing underwater adventures. Cetaceans live in all of the oceans and many of the major rivers of the world. I can’t seem to get Google Translate to give me a good translation of what exactly “Architeuthis dux” means, possibly because Google Translate is too intimidated. Learn more about the types of marine mammals below. I would contribute neuroscience terminology, but anatomists seem to have an annoying habit of just name what it looks like/where it is in Latin. Tweets that mention Awesome Scientific Names of Marine Creatures | Ya Like Dags? 8 in (20.3 cm) Dead man's fingers: Codium sp. Explore the Marine Life Encyclopedia to learn fun facts and more about your favorite marine animals. Two species in this group are found in marine habitats - the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), which lives in Pacific coastal areas from Alaska to California, and in Russia, and the sea cat, or marine otter (Lontra felina), which lives along the Pacific coast of South America. Cushion Star — A type of starfish that got its name because of its pillowy appearance. Its like you learn my mind! California Sea Otters — The sea otter's fur is the densest in the animal kingdom. Cuttlefish — Similar in appearance to a squid or octopus, the cuttlefish has a unique internal shell, known as the cuttlebone. That’s been one of my favorite scientific names since undergrad. The vampire squid is a sweet animal in it’s own right, and not just because vampires are hot right now. And it’s scientific name means “vampire squid from hell.”  The vampire squid, if nothing else, has the most metal name of any living organism. I’ll start with the critter on the header of this blog. Marine mammals are a fascinating group of animals, and come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, from the sleek, streamlined, water-dependent dolphins to the furry seals that haul out on the rocky coast. Awesome Scientific Names of Marine Creatures. Unlike whales and dolphins, which live and feed in water, seals, otters, and walruses only rely on oceans for food. Maybe there is room for irony in science. Learn and get a job to take care of fish and sea animals and create your own ocean reserve to help protect ocean wildlife. Some of these aquatic animals have common names that depict a certain physical feature or habit that reminds scientists of another animal more readily identifiable by the public. Take good care of your fish or sea animal and help it play with other animals in this ocean game. This list follows the Society's taxonomy regarding and subspecies. I haven’t been able to figure out why, but for whatever reason I always associate hard “ar” sounds with badassery. Without further ado, here, in no particular order, are some scientific names I think are just plain badass. Pigfish via flickr/brian.gratwicke. These animals are such animals that live in the saltwater of the sea or ocean. Plus, it just rolls off the tongue. Coming to marine mammals, the list includes whales, like the blue whale, gray whale, and humpback whale, as well as dolphins, seals, sea otters, walruses, sea cows, and polar bears. Common name Image Taxonomy Care Level Growth rate Lighting Waterflow Palatable ... very few animals consume it (one of which is the Emerald crab (Mithraculus sculptus)). Architeuthis dux is approximately “great squid duke” or “Archduke of squid.” Which qualifies as badass. This order also contains the Steller's sea cow, which is now extinct. What Is the Delphinidae Family of Animals? That’s my far-from-complete list of cool scientific names. I had a flash of inspiration today while teaching (it was dichotomous key day, so Latin terms were flying all over the place) and realized that there are a lot of really badass-sounding scientific names out there. Striper bait would have been my last guess. Plankton: tiny marine organisms of all kinds—animals, plants, bacteria, algae, protists—that play a major role in the world’s food chains and chemical cycles; Porcupine Fish: a spiny tropical marine fish that can inflate itself; Porpoise: a small toothed marine mammal, related to dolphins but with different-shaped nose and teeth They are small animals with a weight of not more than 2.5 kg and a height of 49 cm. Mint Images / Frans Lanting / Getty Images. I’d love to be able to chip in with some Linnean names, but I think the best I know is Drosophilia melongaster, which I think means dew-loving dark belly. I’ve had quite the busy week this week, and because some of it was actually work, I’m feeling the need for nice, light, humorous post today. This octopus belongs to a subgenus of octopuses that appreciate life at extreme ocean depths of 3,000 to 5,000 meters. Alastair Pollock Photography / Moment / Getty Images, The Difference Between Sea Lions and Seals, Cetaceans: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, Whale, Dolphin, or Porpoise - Characteristics of Different Cetaceans, The 20 Biggest Mammals, Ranked by Category. The term "about" is used because as scientists learn more about these fascinating animals, new species are discovered or populations are re-classified. A great read. The giant squid has a nice one right at the beginning of it’s genus. Translates roughly as “tuna of all tunas.”, Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax, it sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings. Learn different types of under Sea Animals Names with pictures. Carcharodon carcharias – the great white shark. That said, being a staple of the diet does not exactly make one a tyrant. Sometimes they get a bit creative – amygdala is “almond (shaped)”, but the nucleus accumbens, full name nucleus accumbens septi, means “the nucleus that leans against the septum”…. Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises), M.S., Resource Administration and Management, University of New Hampshire, B.S., Natural Resources, Cornell University. It’s scientific name literally means (at least to my terrible Latin) “shark-toothed shark.”  There’s not much else to say about it that hasn’t already been said, so let’s move on to some more unusual critters with awesome-sounding names. | Deep Sea News, Mapping a Smoother Fishery for Smooth Dogfish, Sharks in Pamlico Sound: The Bigger Picture, Global Shark Tracker | Droolin' Dog dot Net. Longtime readers should already be well aware of why spiny dogfish themselves are badass, but the Latin name of these feisty little sharks is pretty sweet too. 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