Funny Animal Names That Really Exist - Stars and Celebrities
Here are fun scientific names for animals!
Some scientists are such big film fans that they named animals and species after their favorite actors, singers, comic and cartoon characters. Hilarious!
Bambiraptor
A dinosaur named after the Disney character Bambi.
Bathynomus vaderi
In 2023, a new giant isopod was discovered and named after Darth Vader from Star Wars. Biologists noted that the creature's head resembled the villain's helmet.
Boophis kirki
This Madagascar frog is named after Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Boophis picard
This Madagascar frog was named after Captain Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Boophis siskoi
The name Boophis siskoi comes from Officer Benjamin Lafayette Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Is is a Madagascar frog.
Boophis pikei
Boophi pikei is a Madagascar frog named after Captain Christopher Pike from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Boophis janewayae
Captain Kathryn Janeway was the main character in Star Trek: Voyager. A Madagascar frog was also named after her.
Boophis archeri
Boophis archeri is a Madagascar frog and was named after Captain Jonathan Archer from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Darthvaderum
A kind of beetle mite named after the Star Wars bad guy Darth Vader.
Ceroptres selinae
In 2024, three gall wasps were discovered. One of them was named after Selina Kyle, better known as the comic book character Catwoman from “Batman.” Gall wasps are small wasps that only grow to 1-3 mm in size.
Ceroptres bruti
This gall wasp was named after the Roman politician Marcus Junius Brutus.
Ceroptres soloi
This gall wasp was named after Han Solo from Star Wars.
Eriovixia gryffindori
An Indian spider, whose pointed, cone-shaped rump resembles the talking magic hat from Harry Potter.
Gollum
A type of shark named after Gollum from the Lord of the Rings.
Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi
A beetle native to Malaysia where it lives in the water. It was named in honor of Oscar actor Leonardo DiCaprio's commitment to biodiversity and climate change.
Hyloscirtus tolkieni
This tree frog was named after J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Its appearance is very unusual, because it has a gray-brown back, yellow and black spots, and pink eyes. It looks like a fantasy creature, so it was named after the author.
Leptanilla voldemort
Leptanillia is the scientific name for a family of tropical ants. In 2024, an ant was discovered in northwestern Australia. Because of its spooky appearance it was named after the villain from Harry Potter: Voldemort!
Myloplus sauron
In 2024, a new species of piranha was discovered. It was named after the evil Sauron from the Lord of the Rings. The reason: The animal has a circular shape like an eye and a dark, narrow, vertical stripe in the middle. This gives it the appearance of Sauron's “evil eye”. What's interesting is that piranhas actually eat meat, but this species is a "vegetarian".
Nannnaria swiftae
This is a centipede. It was named after the American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift.
Nelloptodes gretae
This is the name of a bright yellow and gold-colored beetle with long antennae, named after climate activist Greta Thunberg. Its homeland is Kenya.
Polemistus chewbacca
A type of wasp named after Han Solo’s furry friend Chewbacca in Star Wars.
Stichoplastoris asterix
A bird spider named after Asterix.
Stichoplastoris obelix
A bird spider named after Obelix.
Spintharus leonardodicaprioi
A cobweb spider native to the Caribbean. It was named after Leonardo DiCaprio for the same reasons as the Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi beetle
Syconycteris hobbit
A bat named after the Hobbit people from the Lord of the Rings.
Uropterygius hades
Uropterygius hades is a type of moray eel. It was discovered in 2024 and named after the god of the underworld, Hades. The name reflects its sensitivity to light and its behavior of burrowing into the ocean floor.
