What would you call this "cat fish"? Image via sharenator.com

I am officially on summer vacation!! My family and I are getting ready to go on our annual road trip to Louisiana to visit my grandparents, but before I depart, I want to leave you all with a Name That Animal Challenge! If you did not get a chance to participate in my previous Name That Animal Challenge and would like to, go to Name That Animal Challenge: #1.

Pretend that you are a scientist and you have just discovered this new species of fish and you have the privilege of naming this unusual 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:

ichthy                           fish

cephal                          head

branch                         gills               *combining form is branchio-

morph                         form, shape

ailuro                           cat

Latin:

pisci                            fish

-iform                       shape               *used as a suffix

feli                              cat

corp                          body

I came up with ailurocephaloichthyomorph or cat headed fish form. I decided to use just Greek components and I linked each root with an o, the most common Greek connector. If you decide to use Latin, you may want to connect your roots with the letter i unless the root already has the i connected like pisci.

Be creative and have fun! I can’t wait to read what you all come up with!