Q. I notice you sometimes include scientific names of animals in your columns. One time you identified a timber rattlesnake; another time, two turtles (an Alabama redbelly turtle and a stinkpot).

Animal names are usually nothing special—bear, elephant, cat… you get the idea. Straightforward, familiar, and honestly a little boring. But some scientists clearly didn’t want to keep it that way, ...

Meet Ms. Mongoose, an 87-pound mastiff. Say hello to Boots with the Fur, a pet lizard. How about Baby Shark, a domestic shorthair kitten. Then of course there’s Craig, the guinea pig. This is just a ...

Many of us struggle to name animals that start with Y because there are relatively few species whose names begin with this letter. But the animal kingdom is full of surprises. Animals whose names ...