Kids love silly names. They also love discovering patterns. This book introduces kids to the diversity of animal life while playing with language and exploring the ecological, behavioral, and physiological traits that make each type of animal unique.

Once children are old enough to recognize the difference between a leopard and a frog, the idea of a leopard frog is funny and intriguing. Does it look like a leopard? Like a frog? Does it have whiskers? Spots? And what about an animal like the raccoon butterfly fish that’s named after two different animals? Does it look like a raccoon? A butterfly? A cross between a raccoon and a butterfly?

Many animals have distinctive physical traits that inspire names.  Leopard frogs and leopard sharks, for instance, have spotted appearances that resemble those of leopards. Zebra spiders and zebra fish have — you guessed it — stripes. Other animals have behavioral traits that inspire animal names. A firefly squid, for instance, lights up the way a firefly does, while an ant lion is lion-like in its predatory strategies. Ecological relationships also inspire animal names. Horse leeches live on horses and mouse deer live in close proximity to deer.

Examples of Sharks Named after other Animals
Crocodile shark, gopher shark, whale shark, elephant shark,
leopard shark, catshark, tiger shark, zebra shark, cow shark,
dogfish shark, houndshark, weasel shark, fox shark

 

This magical book celebrates the diversity of animals by looking at animals named after other animals. Take the wolf spider, for instance. Is it a wolf? Is it a spider? Is it a spider that looks or acts like a spider?

Leopards are large cats known for their spotted fur. These spots help the leopards hide in the tall grasses of their homelands in Africa and South America while they’re sneaking up on prey.  Animals named after the leopard also use spots to help them hide.

Leopard geckos live in rocky desert areas. When they’re first born, they have stripes around their bodies.  These stripes break up into spots as the geckos get older.

Leopard sharks spend most of their time near the muddy bottom of ocean bays and estuaries. They use their spots to camouflage themselves from their predators — large fish and great white sharks.

Leopard tortoises have spots on their shells when they’re young; the spots get smaller as the tortoises get older. They live in the grasslands of southern Africa.

Leopard seals live in the icy waters of the Antarctic. They have long flippers to help them swim fast and sharp teeth for catching prey.

Leopard lizards have two rows of spots running down their bodies and tails. They use their spots to help them hide under bushes. When smaller lizards and bugs pass by, they rush out and eat them.

Leopard frogs live in shallow streams and ponds. Their spots usually have light-colored circles around them.