NAMING THE WILD

What In The World Is A "Procyon lotor" And Other Weird Scientific Names

Image: Mathew Schwartz

From the frozen arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, our nation is home to a spectacular variety of landscapes, each replete with life. Among the thousands of creatures that inhabit the diverse corners of the United States, some truly stand out, emerging as symbols not just for their states, but for the entire country.

Knowing their scientific names allows a deeper understanding of these creatures, not only to identify them accurately but also to discover their origins and evolution.

Ready to take a walk on the wild side? Join us as we decode the scientific names behind these 10 American animals!

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

Native to the southeastern United States, this tough reptile is not exactly what you might call "small." This formidable species can measure 11.2 to 15.1 feet in length and weigh up to an impressive 1,000 lbs!

Better known as the American Alligator, the Alligator mississippiensis has its identity well stated in its name. While mississippiensis might sound like a tongue-twister, its meaning is surprisingly clear. Yes, you got it: this Latin term indicates the creature's origin from the Mississippi River and surrounding areas!

Image: mana5280

Ever had one of those days when all you wanted to do was sleep for hours? Well, that's what this animal does, but during the whole winter season!

The ursus arctos horribilis (don't feel bad, we laughed too) is commonly known as the grizzly bear. This species stands out for its large size, being one of the largest bear species in the world.

And its scientific name is no less peculiar: ursus comes from Latin, meaning "bear," while arctos originates from Greek, translating to "north." As for horribilis, it's exactly what you might imagine; a Latin term meaning "horrible" (or, for gentler interpretations, "terrifying").

Image: David Clode

Don't let the cute face of this reptile fool you. The famous Gila Monster is a native species found in the southwestern regions of our country, and not only does it have a large size compared to other lizards, but it is also venomous!

In the world of science, the Gila Monster is known as Heloderma suspectum. Heloderma comes from Greek and can be translated into English as "studded skin" or "nail skin," alluding to the texture of the reptile's scales. On the other hand, the word suspectum originates from Latin, with a meaning close to "suspicious" or "distrustful." It is not clear why this second word is part of the lizard's name; perhaps it is a subtle warning for the next time you encounter one!

Image: Alexas_Fotos

An emblematic creature, the Bald Eagle rules as one of our national animals, symbolizing cherished values of freedom, independence, and strength.

As you know, the bald eagle is not bald at all. Its common name may derive from a mistranslation of its scientific classification: Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Originating from Latin, the word Haliaeetus alludes to its association with coastal areas, translating to "sea eagle." Meanwhile, leucocephalus is an explicit picture of its intimidating and unique appearance, meaning "white head."

Image: Simon Infanger

We're all familiar with these clever creatures, the renowned raccoons, with their unmistakable mask-like faces and inclination for nocturnal adventures. Interestingly, both their common and scientific names allude to their peculiar behaviors.

The word "raccoon" originates from Native American languages and it can be translated as "the one that scratches with its hands," highlighting the animal's expert use of its little front legs.

In addition, its scientific name is a combination of two Latin words: Procyon, suggesting a resemblance to dogs, and lotor, translating to "washer," due to the raccoon's curious behavior of wetting or "washing" its food before eating it.

Image: Bryce olsen

Believe it or not, there's no mistake in the title. The American bison's scientific name is actually Bison bison. It's a bit like having your first name and last name match, which would undoubtedly lead to confusion.

Now, let's see why the word appears twice. The first **Bison**refers to the genus to which the American Bison belongs. The second bison indicates the specific species within the Bison genus. Thus, the Bison genuscontains two species: the European bison (Bison bonasus) and the American bison (our dear Bison bison). Sorry, how many times have we already said "bison"?

Image: Jeffrey Eisen

With a wingspan that can stretch up to an impressive 9 feet, our California Condor is one of the continent's largest birds. But besides its formidable size and striking appearance, it also has an interesting scientific name.

**Gymnogyps californianus**is the name of this condor in the scientific world. Curious about its meaning? The term Gymnogyps derives from Greek and can be translated into English as "naked vulture," referring to the bird's characteristic bare head. Meanwhile, **californianus**indicates the bird's deep ties with the state of California, which it has long inhabited, along with other regions.

Image: Liam Wolff at English Wikipedia, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

But California isn't the only state that borrowed something from ancient languages to name its wildlife! Virginia joins this list, too.

The well-known Virginia opossum, sometimes called the northernmost marsupial in the world, is known to biologists as Didelphis virginiana; let's analyze its meaning.

Didelphis is a Greek term, with di meaning "two" and delphus translating to "womb," alluding to the unique reproductive system of marsupials. What about virginiana? Well, this term gives the Virginia ID to the cute animal, even though it is distributed throughout North America.

Image: mana5280

Maybe this animal is not what you could define as a cute little dog, but at least it belongs to the same family. The coyote, scientifically known as Canis latrans, is a mammal native to North America. This mostly solitary creature is not only capable of impressive speeds of 40 miles per hour, but can also jump over 13 feet!

The Latin word Canis celebrates the family to which the coyote belongs, the same family that encompasses domestic dogs and wolves, with which the coyote shares many common features, of course. On the other hand, latrans, also from Latin, translates as "yelping," referring to the coyote's characteristic vocalization.

Image: David Thielen

The pronghorn is a herbivorous mammal, a species of artiodactyl native to our continent. Its scientific name is Antilocapra americana.

As you may already know, americana serves as the species' name, signifying the animal's native habitat in America. Now, the term Antilocapra originates from Greek and is often translated as "opposite to goat," indicating the distinction from goats, relatives of the antelopes.

Want to know the pronghorn's closest living relatives? Those are the giraffe and okapi. If the latter doesn't sound familiar, we recommend you search for a photo of this animal if you are in for a surprise!

ORGANIZATION AND NUTRITION

Why You Should Start Meal-Prepping Every Week

Image: Ella Olsson

Are you trying to save money and time? Do you also want to eat healthier and make the process easier and smoother? Meal-prepping will help you achieve all these goals at the same time.

Meal prep is an increasingly common practice that consists of preparing key ingredients of a dish, or several dishes, in advance. Why? To plan meals ahead that will ultimately lead to faster, healthier, and stress-free eating.

To fully get you on board with meal prep we have brought five benefits of converting to this practice and five tips to become an expert.

Image: Josh Appel

If you are a bit skeptical on this point, you are welcome to implement this technique for two weeks and see how much money you can save for yourself.

How does it work? In general, when we improvise our meals, that is, when we don’t have a clear plan or vision, we cannot make smart choices at the grocery shop. As a consequence, when we decide what to eat on the spot, we will probably notice that we are lacking a certain ingredient and be forced to go to the local shop to get it.

That way, we end up spending more money than we could have spent planning our meals and getting all the ingredients (or at least most of them) at the wholesale supermarket, for example.

Image: Lukas Blazek

This goes without saying, if you have to go to the store every time before you start cooking, you will be losing time and energy you could have spent on the process of cooking itself. Losing time ultimately leads to less elaborate meals which, most times, means less quality ones.

On the other hand, preparing ingredients saves time during busy weekdays by reducing cooking and cleaning time daily. This allows you to spend more time actually enjoying a nutritious meal rather than just spending time preparing it.

Image: Ella Olsson

When you are planning a meal on the go your mind will probably go to the easiest and cheapest meals, the least elaborate ones. On a long-term basis, this could be quite detrimental to your health, not to mention to the kids’ health if there are any in the house.

The relationship between healthy meals and how elaborate they are is not as linear as one may think, but raising awareness on what you eat will lead you to make smarter choices in terms of health and nutrients. You will be in control over the ingredients, and the portion sizes, leading to healthier habits altogether.

Image: Del Barrett

If you plan your meals ahead of time and think about the portions you will have in a day, or better yet a week, food waste will definitely get to the bare minimum.

Food waste is not the same as leftovers which can be eaten at night or taken to work on the following day. But, let’s face it, would you save a pre-made meal you haven’t spent much time or money on? Probably not.

Image: Artem Beliaikin

In today’s fast-paced world, just thinking about what to eat can make your stress levels skyrocket, we know it happens to us. Meal planning takes that worry out of sight and out of mind.

When you take only one day (probably at the weekend) to plan your meals in advance and get as much as you can ready, you will feel lighter. Next Wednesday, when you come home worn out from work, you will just have to microwave your dish and enjoy it. A healthy and tasty meal in just a couple of minutes? Aren’t you drooling already?

Now, if you are already convinced and want to give meal prep a chance, these are our five tips for you:

Image: Maarten van den Heuvel

Of course, the first step is to sit down, think about ten or fifteen dishes you want to make, and get all the ingredients. The second step is actually getting those dishes ready if the recipe allows you, or at least most of them.

Batch cooking consists of cooking bigger amounts of just one ingredient, for example, rice, to use in four different dishes. Batch cooking can also include cutting and slicing all the vegetables as well. You will get one ingredient ready and that will complete as many dishes as you require.

Image: Hermes Rivera

Simple, in this case, means following straightforward recipes and cooking techniques to save time. Meal prep doesn’t account for dishes that involve a two-hour boiling or three different kinds of sauteing.

Use simple, but nutritious ingredients. If you have any doubts, consult your doctor about which particular nutrient you will benefit from. For example, if you work out every day, you will probably need more proteins, so boiling legumes would be part of meal-prepping.

Image: Tamara Malaniy

Labels will become your best friend. Keep track of freshness and easily identify the meals in your fridge.

When we cook in batches or meal prep some ingredients, especially if we stick to our routine, we tend to forget when we bought or got some things ready. So, label and write the dates on the containers you used to prevent food from going bad. Nobody wants a smelly fridge in the kitchen, let alone wasting food!

Image: Ello

We lied, labels are not your best friends, the freezer is! Get used to freezing whole dishes and even individual ingredients. Everything can be frozen and, in turn, defrosted. No, it doesn’t change the taste, in any case, it enhances it!

Again, there is nothing like coming home, taking a container from the freezer, microwaving it for ten minutes as you lay on the couch, and then enjoying a fully nutritious and homemade meal.

Once you have developed the habit of batch cooking and meal prepping you will never go back to impromptu cooking.