Ever wonder where animals get their names? Some animal names are pretty obvious. Take the pygmy three-toed sloth, for example. It’s smaller than a regular sloth, has three toes, and is super slow. What an obvious choice for a name, right? But there are some animals with misleading names that would have you believe they are one thing, when they are really not that thing at all. Not sure what we’re talking about? Here are five great examples!
1. Prairie Dog
This animal is actually not a dog at all, but a rodent. This small burrowing rodent can be found in many different habitats and is an important part of the environment, although many would consider it to be a pest. Prairie dogs are named “dogs” because of their call, which sounds like a dog’s bark.
2. Horned Toad
Even though this animal is not a toad at all, it does have horns on its head and body. This lizard gets its name from its toad or frog shaped body and snout. Other names include horny toad and horned frog. You can find horned toads in many places across North America.
3. Koala Bear
These furry marsupials may look like your childhood teddy bear, but they are not even bears. Native to Australia, these fluffy animals are more closely related to wombats than bears.
4. Guinea Pig
These large rodents probably seem pretty familiar because they are widely purchased as pets. They are not pigs, and they are not from Guinea either. They trace their roots back to the Andes and are also known as the cavy.
5. Ring-Tailed Cat
This dark-eyed mammal actually belongs to the raccoon family and is not a cat at all. It is rumored that the ring-tailed cat is easily tamed, and this may be where it got its “cat” name. They are smaller than the domesticated cat, and they do have a distinctive ring pattern on their tail.
So there you have it. These animals with misleading names may have fooled you before, but never again. Names are funny — even the ones that are eventually disproved and don’t make sense may stick over time. Just ask the guinea pig!
Featured Image from Michael Alain/Unsplash
