WEBVTT - How Do Animals Get Their Scientific Names?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here, and I'm here today to tell you

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<v Speaker 1>that an oddball catfish species first spotted in Brazil at

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<v Speaker 1>last has a name, and it is Grito. Yes, as

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<v Speaker 1>in the Rhodean bounty hunter in Star Wars. More formally,

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<v Speaker 1>the catfish whose bug eyed stare and droopy chin like

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<v Speaker 1>extension really do bring to mind. Grito will henceforth be

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<v Speaker 1>known as Pacaldia grito I. That final e sound in

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<v Speaker 1>Latin is a possessive, so it means something like Grito's

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<v Speaker 1>fish one. Dr Jonathan Armbrester, professor and curator of Fishes

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<v Speaker 1>at Auburn University and longtime Star Wars fan, created the

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<v Speaker 1>name while studying the fish in It's about one of

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<v Speaker 1>forty species of fish he's named to date. By tradition,

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<v Speaker 1>whoever discovers a new species gets to name it. The

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<v Speaker 1>discovers doesn't necessarily mean fines, though Armbrester explained discovery is

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<v Speaker 1>a weird term. I discovered P. Grido I and a jar,

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<v Speaker 1>but others actually discovered it in nature. They just didn't

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<v Speaker 1>have everything they needed to describe it. Armbrester did, describe it.

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<v Speaker 1>He discovered the nature of the species. The new part

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<v Speaker 1>of new species is weird too. In this context, Armbrester explains,

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<v Speaker 1>a new species is one that is newly described and named.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, it existed before scientists got involved. Describing a

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<v Speaker 1>new species is a science in itself. In taxonomy, which

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<v Speaker 1>is the scientific discipline of classifying living things, scientists examined physical, genetic, behavioral,

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<v Speaker 1>and ecological traits to logically situate a species within the biosphere.

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<v Speaker 1>Taxonomy is a big deal. It reveals how a new

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<v Speaker 1>species fits into our known world and provides a universal

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<v Speaker 1>language to describe and study it. Taxonomy lays out the

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<v Speaker 1>components of biodiversity and thus the tools to preserve it.

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<v Speaker 1>It offers scientists, engineers, and inventors their best chance at

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<v Speaker 1>understanding the incredible capabilities of the natural world and explaining

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<v Speaker 1>it to the rest of us. Naming is part of taxonomy.

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<v Speaker 1>A name often reflects a distinctive characteristic, like the name

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<v Speaker 1>tatter Rita braziliensis for a bat discovered that lives in Brazil.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a lot of leeway in naming, though, and scientists

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<v Speaker 1>often get creative, like P. Grito I for a fish

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<v Speaker 1>that looks like Grito or Miotis Midas tactus for a

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<v Speaker 1>bat with golden fur after mythologies golden touched King Midas.

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<v Speaker 1>This approach can sometimes be problematic, though, but we spoke

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<v Speaker 1>with Dr Ricardo Morritelli, a biologist with the Oswaldo Cruz

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<v Speaker 1>Foundation who named the Golden bat. He explained a characteristic

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<v Speaker 1>that we first think is unique to that species may

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<v Speaker 1>be revealed as shared with others or even variable within

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<v Speaker 1>the species. For instance, the aforementioned Tea braziliensis was later

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<v Speaker 1>found to live throughout North and South America, resulting in

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<v Speaker 1>subspecies like Ta Braziliences mexicana or the Mexican Brazilian free

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<v Speaker 1>tailed bat. Other names honor colleagues, immortalized family members, or

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<v Speaker 1>less common but more compelling exact revenge scientists. Orleannais, who

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<v Speaker 1>in the seventeen hundreds founded the taxonomy and nomenclature systems

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<v Speaker 1>still used in biology today, named an entire genus of

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<v Speaker 1>wreaking weeds Segis Beckia after one Johann Sigi Spec, a

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<v Speaker 1>botanist who had endlessly criticized his work. The International Commission

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<v Speaker 1>on Zoological Nomenclature needs to approve names but the organization

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<v Speaker 1>is pretty open minded. It approved said vicious i and

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<v Speaker 1>Johnny rotten i for two species of extinct trilobite named

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<v Speaker 1>by a taxonomist whose friend loved the sex pistols. It

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<v Speaker 1>also gave the nod to Agathedium bush i, A Cheney i,

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<v Speaker 1>and A. Rumsfeld i for three species of beetle. The

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<v Speaker 1>Republican taxonomist actually meant it as a good thing. It

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<v Speaker 1>also approved Ampulex dementor for a wasp that turns cockroaches

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<v Speaker 1>into zombies before eating them. The behavior apparently recalled Harry

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<v Speaker 1>Potter's spirit sucking adversaries. That last one was chosen in

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<v Speaker 1>a vote by visitors to Berlin's Museum of Natural History.

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<v Speaker 1>Some scientists are giving away their name rights to educate, engage,

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<v Speaker 1>and fund research and conservation. Berlin's museum patrons learned about

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<v Speaker 1>the new wasp and taxonomy and its critical role in

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<v Speaker 1>conservation as part of the voting. The Script's Institution for

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<v Speaker 1>Oceanography sales naming rights for five thousand to twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>thousand per species, with the proceeds supporting the institution's work.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's a bargain at a two thou five auction.

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<v Speaker 1>The online Golden Palace Casino paid sixty five thousand dollars

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<v Speaker 1>for the rights to name a species of monkey, supporting

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<v Speaker 1>the national Park in Bolivia where the new monkey was discovered.

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<v Speaker 1>This commercialization makes some in the field uncomfortable with money

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<v Speaker 1>in the mix. There's concern about biased taxonomy. Armbresterer said

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<v Speaker 1>it has the possibility of getting out of hand. Buying

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<v Speaker 1>a name is a good thing as long as it

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<v Speaker 1>is for a species we have already identified as new.

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<v Speaker 1>We need more money for taxonomy. Finding creative ways to

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<v Speaker 1>fund the science is a good thing. By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>Golden Palace named the monkey calla cibis Auri palate i

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<v Speaker 1>Auri plate, meaning Golden Palace in Latin. The casino wanted

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<v Speaker 1>dot com in there too, but it couldn't be latinized.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Julia Layton and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is a production of I Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other well categorized topics, visit our home planet, how

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