As you start (or continue) your naturalist journey, I encourage you to name the things you notice.
Names can help us find more information about something, or quickly convey to others exactly what we saw, but they can also be personal and powerful. Common names often have a story so what is stopping you from making your own? Plus, if you're in the field, it means you don't have to try to ID something right at that moment. Instead, you can enjoy your experience fully, leaving the research piece for later.
A few weeks ago, I visited the Charleston Marine Center (https://cmlc.uoregon.edu/visit/) which was delightful and made more so by the 10 year old naturalist who gave me a tour. He not only knew the species names of the creatures, but he knew the name the keepers called them too. I met Dock, the young Giant Pacific Octopus, and Dot, the Red Ruby Octopus.
He introduced me to Eeyore the Wolf Eel, and made sure I saw the wolf eel skull in the hands-on collection. I never knew what strange teeth wolf eels have! Also, they aren't really eels, and obviously aren't wolves either, so if you're not sure you're qualified to name something yourself, please think again!
(Check out my video of the wolf eel skull here: https://youtube.com/shorts/vQM2-ZSNm_w)
On my tour, I noticed a sign that reads:
Starfish or Sea Star?
“The correct scientific name for these star-shaped echinoderms is "asteroid," a name that is used universally by scientists, yet has nothing to do with large chunks of rock hurtling through space. Although it has become common practice to teach young students that "sea star" is correct, and "starfish" is not, both of these terms are perfectly acceptable common names. The choice of common names is a matter of usage and personal preference. Some (though not all) scientists prefer "starfish" because of the term's long tradition and general acceptance in the English language. "Starfish" i the older term, first used in 1538 during the life of Queen Elizabeth I. "Sea star" was first used 31 years later, soon after William Shakespeare was born. At that time, the accepted definition of "fish" was "an animal that lives in the water."
For some reason, the modern war against "starfish" and sometimes "jellyfish" seems not to apply to crayfish, silverfish, cuttlefish, shellfish, dogfish or catfish. It is also baffling that we have no problem with sea horses, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sec cows, sea gooseberries, sea lions, sea anemones or sea lilies... and let's not forget that "brain corals" don't have brains!
It is absolutely incorrect to teach that one common name is right and another is wrong!! Common names are a matter of personal preference; scientific names are not.”
I love it. Language is always changing. Language reflects the people and culture who are using it. So be bold. Write in your nature journal that you noticed a “Many Toothed Mopey Sea Snake” when you saw the wolf eel, or a “Purple Tide Pool Porcupine” when you saw the sea urchin. If you want to add other common names or the scientific names later, that’s up to you. The important part is that you noticed, you wondered, and you found a way to record that memory. That’s powerful, and part of being a naturalist.
I hope you have fun!
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