Plaices & Names

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the American Museum of Natural History in hopes of seeing their "Mythical Creatures" exhibit. It was sold out, alas, but I then wandered the halls enjoying the many animal exhibits, including the wonderful names and physiognomies of some of the creatures. I offer these now in hopes they will bring a little natural, nomenclatural, polysyllabic delight to your day:
  • Bloodbelly Comb Jelly
  • Cookie-Cutter Shark (a truly creepy but cool fish -- read the link to find out why)
  • Stoplight Loosejaw (also awesome)
  • Black-Blotched Porcupinefish
  • False Cleanerfish
  • Juvenile Snook
  • Sheepshead Seabream
  • Tripodfish (check out the picture -- it's one of those creatures that proves that if God is the Creator, he has a sense of humor)
  • Powderblue Surgeonfish
  • Jericho Worms (fascinating and weird)
  • Stonechat
  • Eurasian Wryneck
  • Alpine Accentor
  • Common Siskin
  • Yellow-Hooded Wagtail
  • Ruddy Shelduck
  • Whooper Swan
  • Great Bustard
  • Black-Faced Cuckoo Shrike
  • Superb Lyrebird
  • Crimson Rosella
  • Glossy Drongo
  • Nkulenga Wood Rail
  • White-Bearded Bulbul
  • Lemon-Rumped Tinkerbird
  • Cameroon Sombre Greenbul
  • Variable Sunbird
  • Fiscal Shrike (always appears at tax season)
  • Rattling Cisticola
  • Spectacled Antipitta
  • Broad-Billed Motmot
  • Cinnamon-Bellied Ground Tyrant
  • Scale-Throated Earthcreeper
  • Greater Yellowlegs
  • Lesser Yellowlegs
  • Pectoral Sandpiper
  • Pomarine Jaeger
  • Common Stilt
  • Bufflehead