Six Silly Animals With Endearingly Misleading Names

Tarantula hawk

Have you seen such a horror-inducing sight? With a metallic blue body and striking orange wings and antennae, this glorious beast is the tarantula hawk. As you can see, it is neither a tarantula nor a hawk – it is a stunning solitary wasp.

Its name comes from its terrifyingly efficient hunting method: hunting tarantulas. After mating, female wasps go on the hunt for a juicy-looking tarantula. The way they hunt is as precise and predatory as a hawk’s, which is how they earn the latter part of their misleading name.

Once they have identified a yummy-looking spider, they will go in for the sting, aiming for the large nerve ganglion to quickly paralyze the spider. Then, the wasp drags this helpless morsel to a nest and lays an egg on top of it. When the egg hatches, the larva begins feeding on the still-alive tarantula, using it as a nutritious snack until it grows into an adult.

Guinea pig

A faithful companion for many people in childhood, these fluffy, hand-sized creatures also have an air of mystery: they are neither pigs nor from Guinea. These animals are, in fact, rodents of the Caviidae family. The domesticated guinea pig belongs to the species Cavia porcellus, and includes at least 13 recognized breeds.

There are a few theories about where the name “guinea pig” came from. Some suggest the “pig” part comes from their “pig-like” sounds, which resemble the grunts of pigs, or perhaps how their meat tastes when roasted (they are still considered a delicacy to this day). Others believe that the name originated from the pet costing a guinea in the 16th century, or from the port through which the animals could have been transported (Guinea in West Africa or Guiana in South America).

These animals are native to the Andes in South America, where they roam the region in herds and live in groups. It is believed that the Incas domesticated the guinea pig around 3,000 years ago, and Spanish explorers later brought them back to Europe as exotic pets.

So, as you gaze through the metal bars at your faithful companion, Baron Von Snuggles, remember they are far more mysterious than you may think.  

Mountain chicken

Weighing in at a whopping 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) with the amazing ability to jump over a standing human, this is a frog – not a chicken – and it originates from the Caribbean. The name comes from its large size and its status as a delicacy in the Caribbean. Like many unfamiliar meats, it reportedly tastes like chicken, which helped inspire the name.

The Mountain Chicken is also critically endangered. It was once widespread across the Caribbean, however, by 2023, only 21 were found on the island of Dominica. This decline began in 2002, when a deadly amphibian fungus arrived in the region and proceeded to decimate populations, causing over 90 species to become extinct in just 50 years.

When it manages to avoid disease, predators, and man-made devastation, this large amphibian can live up to 12 years in the wild. Currently, many reintroduction programs are working to restore the population to pre-fungus numbers. Mountain chickens are bred in captivity and released into the wild once the fungus has been eradicated from the area. 

Mountain goat

This chonky, fluffy-looking creature is the mountain goat. It is not a true goat; it just looks incredibly similar to one. Its proper name is goat-antelope, which does not have quite the same ring to it as “mountain goat”.

These herbivorous animals inhabit many of North America’s alpine environments, from Alaska to Utah. These creatures differ from true goats, as they do not butt heads; instead, they stab each other with their horns.  This also means that they are reluctant fighters, and the males have thick skin as armor against any attacks.

Often perfectly perched on a rocky outcrop, these nimble and powerful animals can jump nearly 12 feet (3.66 meters) in a single leap.

Bearcat

Now, bear with us as we explore the glorious fluffiness of an animal called the binturong, which is native to South and Southeast Asia. It also has the common name of “bearcat”. This solitary creature is neither a bear nor a cat. However, if you squint, it does have a face similar to a cat’s, and the body does have a hint of a bear, but it is more closely related to fossas or civets.

Bearcats are often found hidden away in the branches of trees and only make the long way down when they want to move to another tree.

The scent they emit is reminiscent of hot, buttery popcorn – a smell more familiar at the cinema. The more unpleasant aspect is that the smell itself comes from urine, which suggests it may be used as a territorial marker. This scent comes from a chemical compound that is often found in real popcorn.

Vampire squid

The vampire squid is a ” monster ” that lives in the deep sea. Currently, there are two species that have been discovered: Vampyroteuthis infernalis, discovered in 1903, and more recently, Vampyroteuthis pseudoinfernalis, which was found in the South China Sea.

These creatures are not vampiric, instead, they are scavengers that meander across the ocean eating debris and marine snow. They are also not even squid, but are part of their own family: Vampyroteuthidae.

Originally V. infernalis was thought to be a species of octopus, but it was reclassified. V. pseduoinfernalis was described by the scientists that discovered it to be “extensively gelatinous”. These two species differ as the latter has a broad, elongated wing on the lower beak, a tail, and light-producing organs in a different part of the body.

The way humans have named some animals is truly a wild ride. So next time you hear a peculiar name, don’t judge a critter by its cover – it might just be a bear-y unexpected surprise waiting to pop up in your next wildlife encounter.