This semester, I am taking a fabulous etymology class called The Witty Wordsmith. Recently, the instructor challenged the class to name weird animals that people had created using Photoshop. We had to use our knowledge of Greek and Latin roots to name the animals. I had a lot of fun doing this assignment so I have created my own challenge and I hope you all enjoy it.
Pretend that you are a scientist and you have just discovered this new species of bird and you have the privilege of naming your species. Scientists usually name new species by using Greek or/and Latin roots because the prefixes, stems, and suffixes are just like building blocks that you can utilize in countless ways.
Your challenge is to name the unique animal in the picture above using your knowledge of Greek and Latin roots. Keep in mind that you can use characteristics like size, color, or shape to name the animal. Feel free to search my blog to find root words to help you or use the list below.
Greek:
cyno dog
cephal head
soma, somat body
pter wing, feather
ornith, ornis bird
Latin:
avi bird
can dog
Submit your names by leaving me a comment!
the word explorer 
I vote for “canopteran”. It has “can” meaning dog and “pter” meaning wing.
Hi Tara,
I love this week’s post. Here is the name I made: Canornis. How do you like it?
How about a cynocephalornis?
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Tara, how is ornithocynopter?
That sounds good! Thanks for participating!
How did you get the idea for these challenges? Would you please post a Name that Animal Challenge 4?
I got the idea from an etymology class I took a while ago. The teacher gave us an assignment asking us to name strange photoshopped animals to reinforce our root word knowledge. I enjoyed the assignment so much that I decided to create my own unique version as a way for people to learn and practice using roots in a fun way!
I came up with cynocephalavi
Great name Alaina! Thanks so much for following my blog and best of luck at the Bee!
I have ornithocephalopter..I know this is over 1 year late..sorry!
“Cynornisomat”…how do you like it?
I THINK it should translate directly to “dog bird body”.
It could also be “Cynocephalornisoma”; “dog head bird body”.
This is also late… sorry!
Megan,
Thanks for taking the time participate! Both of your names are great!
Thank you!