On the naming of Species...

[rasoforos]

nyctosaurus by your definition ought to be banned/replaced because it has an offensive arabic verb (nycto- sounds like niktoh= I * him), with the whole, according to arabic vernacular grammar, would mean "I the lizard"

Actually this sounds quite nice (like vulgar old me naming a dinosaur)

You missed my point though. He chose to use a composite word from greek and I think it would be best practice to check whether the first (non greek) part is not offensive or otherwise misleading.

Similarly, if he had named the species using an Arabic composite word then Nycto(insert arabic for lizzard here) would be as you say a very poor choice.

I still feel bad for the ape. Like extinction was not enough...

[Papewaio]

So you would be offended by the name Orang Utan then?

[rasoforos]

So you would be offended by the name Orang Utan then?

Why would one be offended by 'man of the forest' ?

Besides my wife is sponsoring one so I cannot say much against em

[Papewaio]

Man of the forest would be the more literal interpretation.

Most of the locals that I talked to in Sumatra said that the better translation of meaning was 'Wild man/Crazy Man'. Hutan being used for both forest and wild.

So a Orang Utan is a demented man...

[rasoforos]

Man of the forest would be the more literal interpretation.

Most of the locals that I talked to in Sumatra said that the better translation of meaning was 'Wild man/Crazy Man'. Hutan being used for both forest and wild.

So a Orang Utan is a demented man...

Like babi hutan? --> like, non-domesticated 'of the forest' and therefore wild. Wild as 'non-domesticated' and not as in an 'Italian football fan'.

Malaysian wife certifies that it is 'man of the forest' and not 'crazy man'. I tend to accept her authority on Bahasa Melayu linguistic issues.

P.S Also wild does not equal demented. That would be Agriopithecus...

[Papewaio]

The guys in the Sumatran rain forest called them wild ... much like the wild pigs. But they also called the Orang Utans crazy men and some of the folklore was of them stealing children.

Mind you these are the same guys who thought smoking made them big and strong and they only reached my chest height... so not the most reliable sources of information. :)