Should species be named after people?

Congratulations to Evangeline Y3 and Sofia Y5

Evangeline KyriacouY3

I don’t think species should be named after people. If I lived in a tribe in the jungle, I may already have a name for these creatures. If some rich explorer comes and says they discovered the creature I already know, why should that creature be named after the famous person?

Sofia Gromysz-KyriakouY5

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My opinion in this matter is a bit mixed. On one hand, I think scientists, who discovered the species or are famous for studying them, deserve to be honoured in this way.

On the other hand, choosing names after people could get out of control. What if one day animals are named after YouTubers! What if the chosen person is disregarded by history!

Also, names of animals in Latin or Greek often have meanings, which indicate which animal family they belong to. This way we can instantly learn something about an animal just by looking at its name.

When an animal is named after a person, that meaning is not there.

Therefore overall, I think I weigh towards animals not being named after people.