The strange world of naming new species

摘要

Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider Stephen B. Heard Yale University Press UNLIKE plastic dinosaurs, new species don't arrive with names on their bellies. Assigning them a name, however, isn't as easy as it might seem. In Stephen Heard's splendid new book, which is beautifully illustrated by Emily Damstra, he explains not only how species are named, but why some have odder names than others. Reasons people choose names can vary from seeking to honour a respected colleague, thank a patron, celebrate a loved one or, in some cases, mourn their death.