[Essay] Opisthoteuthis adorabilis
Of the many joys of being a scientist, discovering a new species must rank
right up there near the top; and for the lucky ones who get to classify them,
bestowing a name must be rewarding beyond measure. Such an honor, but such a
responsibility too.
Such is the task set before Stephanie Bush, a researcher at the Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research Institute, who has been working to classify a deep-sea
cephalopod from the genus Opisthoteuthis, which up to now has gone unnamed.
Before a new species can be named, it needs to be thoroughly studied to
determine how it is unique from other species that may be closely related.
The description and classification – and name – are then published as
papers in scientific journals. Opisthoteuthis is also being studied closely
for a better understanding of how the creature “works” and how it plays a
part in the bigger deep-sea ecosystem.
But back to the name; where does one even begin? For Bush, it might be easy.
She describes the wee cutie as really gelatinous and fragile, and with huge
eyes. With its upper fins reminiscent of giant ears, it looks like something
straight out of a Hayao Miyazaki animation.
“One of the thoughts I had was making it Opisthoteuthis adorabilis," says
Bush, "because they’re really cute.” And really, what else could one
possibly name this adorable creature?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv7DfebpL7E
Source:
https://goo.gl/z5xMx8
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 211.74.78.42
※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/EngTalk/M.1479091507.A.C0C.html
※ 編輯: rrr518 (211.74.78.42), 11/14/2016 10:46:23
討論串 (同標題文章)
以下文章回應了本文：
完整討論串 (本文為第 1 之 2 篇)：