34 Animals With Funny Names (A to Z List +Pictures)

Animals with funny names include Agra Cadabra Beetle, Aploparaksis Turdi, Aye-aye, Blobfish, and Blue-footed Booby.

There are so many animals in the world with funny names. From the bizarre-sounding quokka to the spoon-billed sandpiper, to the aptly named ADHD hamster, these creatures are sure to make you smile.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the funniest animal names out there and tell you a little bit about each one.

Examples of Animals With Funny Names

1. Agra Cadabra Beetle

Scientifically named Agra Cadabra, this species of beetle is found in the Amazonian region. Perhaps its name comes from being so magical, or maybe it’s just a play on the word “agra ,” which is an antiquated term for turkey meat.

2. Aploparaksis Turdi

A rare type of parasitic worm, this creature is found in the colon of a specific type of wood-dwelling marsupial called the common ringtail possum. “Aploparaksis” refers to its flattened, ribbonlike shape.

3. Aye-aye

This species of lemur is known for its spooky appearance and pointy middle finger. It’s native to Madagascar, where the locals believe it brings bad luck when it taps on a person’s roof at night.

4. Blobfish

The blobfish has to be one of the most hilarious animal names out there. The deep-sea creature got its scientific name, Psychrolutes marcidus, from a 1992 fish research expedition.

5. Blue-Footed Booby

Found in the coastal regions of the Galapagos Islands, this bird is aptly named because its feet are turned bright blue. Blue-footed booby means “stupid” in Spanish, which may or may not be an appropriate name for this bird.

Related Article: What is the Color of Blue-footed booby Egg?

6. Boops Boops

The name boops boops is a romanization of the Greek boōps which means “cow eye.” In most languages, its common name refers to the fish’s, large bugged-out eyes.

7. Chicken Turtle

This endangered turtle species from Guatemala is so named because it looks like a chicken, sounds like a chicken, and tastes like a chicken.

8. Colon Rectum (Beetle)

This type of beetle was named in 1933 by entomologist Melville H. Hatch. He’s also named insects with similarly: Colon forceps, Colon monstrosum, Colon grossum, and Colon horni.

9. Common Cockchafer

The common cockchafer is a European beetle that had faintly white wings with dots on them. It has six legs, antennae, and jaw-like mouthparts. The cockchafer belongs to the scarab family of insects, which also contains dung beetles.

These creatures are known for rolling balls of dung in which their larvae can live.

10. Dik-Dik

A small antelope native to the open woodlands of Eastern and Southern Africa, dik-diks grow to about 23 inches tall and weigh only 10 pounds. They have large eyes and ears with a spray of fine hairs on their heads.

Their necks and legs are gray or red-brown in color, and they have white spots on their backs. You can tell the difference between males and females- the latter have short, straight horns.

11. Fried Egg Jellyfish

The fried egg jellyfish is a natural wonder of the world. Each one is a translucent, colorless blob about two inches wide and a quarter-inch thick. These tiny jellies float in the cold waters surrounding Antarctica or have been spotted in deep water elsewhere in both hemispheres.

Because fried egg jellyfish lack both a brain and a heart, this is the only area where they have any structural complexity at all!

12. Frill Necked Lizard

The frill necked lizard is Mexico’s largest lizard, measuring up to 1.5 meters (60 inches) in length. It has a giant webbed crest on its neck, resembling the exaggerated hairstyle of an old-fashioned court jester.

The crest is anything but ornamental; it can be erected at will into a brightly colored, frilly collar, which scares away would-be predators

13. Goblin Shark

This deep-sea shark is known for its distinct appearance and long history. You can tell a goblin shark by its elongated, flattened snout and pinkish skin. It reaches lengths of up to 14 feet and lives at depths where light does not penetrate – some areas reach as deep as 3,300 meters below the ocean’s surface.

14. Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla

Western Lowland Gorillas are also known by their local indigenous names. The trinomial taxonomic name for this species is literally Gorilla gorilla gorilla, which makes sense because “gorilla” comes from the Latin word gorilla.

Related Article: Do Gorilla Kill for Fun?

15. Hellbender

The hellbender, also called the snot otter (because that’s what it looks like), is a species of large salamander found in rivers throughout eastern North America. When handled, they tend to secrete heavy mucus from glands near their eyes and nostrils which can get into their lungs and make breathing difficult.

16. Ice Cream Cone Worm

This creature gets its name from the fact that it looks just like an ice cream cone. Its scientific name is Armina semperi, and it’s a type of sea slug with no shell.

17. Leafy Sea Dragon

Consisting of two species (the weedy and the ruby), the leafy sea dragon is a type of seahorse that lives in shallow water along the southern coast of Australia. The leafy sea dragon has leaf-like protrusions on its head and neck and an overall ‘leafy’ appearance, hence its name.

18. Mountain Chicken

The mountain chicken, also known as the giant ditch frog or the large warty frog, is a species of frog native to montane areas in southwestern Dominica and Montserrat.

The name comes from the island’s early days as a center for sugar production where it was often prepared as a substitute for chickens, which were very expensive to keep.

19. Moustached Puffbird

The moustached puffbird is found in the subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests of South America. Although endangered, this bird species has a population estimated to be somewhere around 20,000 individuals.

The moustached puffbird derives its name from the large mustache-like feather tufts on either side of its black bill. 

20. Pink Fairy Armadillo

This pink manicured animal is also known as the Pichiciego. This adorable little armadillo lives in central Argentina and weighs about ten grams, which equals approximately half an ounce.

21. Pleasing Fungus Beetle

The pleasing fungus beetle (Osmoderma eremicola) loves to make itself at home in old moths and butterflies.

22. Rasberry Crazy Ant

On the list of most dangerous insects, the Rasberry crazy ant is probably near the top. Native to South America, this terrifying-looking ant has caused major problems in Texas since arriving there accidentally.

With a painful sting and very acidic bite which can cause skin blisters, this insect’s name seems strangely appropriate.

23. Red-Lipped Batfish

This is one of the weirdest-looking fish you’ll ever see. Red-lipped batfish got their name because of their bright red lips, which are so big they cover up most of the rest of its face.

They have pectoral fins that can function as legs, allowing them to “walk” along the ocean floor. As if walking along the ocean floor wasn’t awkward enough, these fish have even been known to scoot around on their fins.

24. Sarcastic Fringehead

The sarcastic fringehead is a species of fish that can be found in the Pacific Ocean. It gets its name from the bright orange, yellow and blue coloring of its head, which it will display to scare off potential predators as well as members of the opposite sex during mating season.

No common names have been determined for this species yet.

25. Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

The Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko looks like something out of a nightmare. It’s creepy, it’s nocturnal, and it hangs upside down in trees. This type of lizard lives only on the island of Madagascar.

26. Screaming Hairy Armadillo

This is a rather bizarre-looking animal that can be found in South America. It’s best known for its hairless tail and long claws, which it uses to dig burrows under rocks and other sheltering objects.

27. Slippery Dick

This Australian fish is also known as the common sea hare, and it’s actually pretty cute looking. It gets its funny name from its mating habit; when they’re ready to reproduce, the males release a pink fluid that looks like semen into the water.

28. Sparklemuffin

Sparklemuffin is one of the world’s smallest spiders. You can find this tiny arachnid in eastern Australia, where it makes its home in moist leaf litter.

The bright blue color on the adult male sparklemuffin might be a nutrient supplement for its diet or something that helps with attracting a mate.

29. Spiny Lumpsucker

This fish has a strange, lumpy body. Its Latin name, Acantholumpenus holdereri , means ‘spiny lumpsucker’. The male Spiny Lumpsuckers attach themselves to the females in order to fertilize their eggs, which is how it got its nickname, the ‘hitchhiking fish’.

30. Star-Nosed Mole

The star-nosed mole is a small mole that lives in wet low areas in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.

It has been given its funny name because of the unique appendage on the end of its nose which looks like a star, with 22 fleshy tentacles. The tentacles are used to touch and feel things, such as food.

31. Strange-Tailed Tyrant

This bizarre creature is actually one of the smallest birds in its area. It’s native to South America, where it goes by the name of tyrant flycatcher.

Strange-tailed tyrants are active animals but they aren’t very social, which makes them perfect for people who enjoy observing wildlife but don’t want to deal with a lot of noise.

32. Tasselled Wobbegong

The tasselled wobbegong is also known as the “carpet shark” because, well, that’s exactly what it looks like. Growing up to 6 feet in length, this gorgeous creature has distinctive dark-colored bands that run down its body and onto its fins.

33. Tufted Titmouse

The tufted titmouse is a small, chubby bird that lives in eastern North America. It’s mostly gray with a white belly and chest surrounded by black on the sides of its face.

34. Wunderpus Photogenicus

The Wunderpus photogenicus is a species of octopus that can be found in the waters surrounding New Britain, an island in the Solomon Islands archipelago. These cephalopods have a surprising number of nicknames including “the sparkly enigma”, “Casper”, and even “Houdini”.

Chris

I am the founder and owner of Fauna Facts. My mission is to write valuable and entertaining information about animals and pets for my audience. I hope you enjoy the site!