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The Very Weird And Wonderful World Of Animal Names: Earth Edition

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Originally published: 2023

Revamped and republished: 19th July 2025

Image of a Johnny Cash Tarantula courtesy of Wikipedia

All the following exist on earth.

goblin sharks and pangolins sea pigs, star-nosed moles mata matas, sugar gliders shoats and water voles. aye-ayes, dik-diks, wobbegongs chicken turtles, loons shoebills, snipes and yeti crabs and cozumel raccoons. pink fairy armadillos bilbys, 52-hertz whales the red-lipped batfish, panda ants and emperor helmet snails. the pleasing fungus beetle, thrips hellbenders, great potoos lilac breasted rollers, bongos glass frogs, kinkajous. boobies, fried egg jellyfish happy wrens and teals sarcastic fringe heads, cock-tailed tyrants shags, electric eels. johnny cash tarantulas slevin's emo skinks agra cadabras, hanging thieves turbo shrews and minks. the mediterranean shame-faced crabs dugongs, gangly lancers jesus lizards, pistol shrimps fossas, spanish dancers. the rare long-wattled umbrellabirds chubs and munchkin cats satanic leaf-tailed geckos, shads gars, nits and fancy rats.

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Charlotte Puddifoot

Date: 7/19/2025 5:23:00 AM

i love these poems of yours, gary, so clever how you put them together :) love sugar gliders too, so cute

Gary Radice
Date: 7/19/2025 5:46:00 AM

Thank you Charlotte. I was going to add one off weirdest creatures on earth into the poem but I couldn't get the word 'humans' to fit. :) Read you soon. Cheers - Gary

Tom Woody

Date: 7/19/2025 5:01:00 AM

How you made this rhyme AND maintain decent meter is quite the accomplishment Gary. I do believe Johnny Cash tarantulas are my new fave. Now to pull up the photo

Tom Woody
Date: 7/19/2025 5:59:00 AM

I do that too. Post, edit, edit some more

Gary Radice
Date: 7/19/2025 5:45:00 AM

Thanks Tom. Having read the poem one piece at a time and then having walked the lines, I feel the poem needs a tad tidying up around the edges before I'm 100% happy with it. :) Cheers - Gary

Tom Woody
Date: 7/19/2025 5:01:00 AM

Oops, I see you already provided a sample. Kewl

David Kavanagh

Date: 7/19/2025 3:27:00 AM

You certainly did your homework here Gary, and put together some very clever fun couplets, ‘sarcastic fringe heads’ and Jesus lizards (they walk on water) ? my favourite amongst many, oh wait I’ve just spotted cocktail tyrants, you must forward me the recipe lol! A great read, cheers David

Gary Radice
Date: 7/19/2025 4:38:00 AM

:) Thanks David. The list poems that I write tend to have me pulling my hair out. The original poem that I deleted in 2023 included a species of animal (can’t remember its name) that I found on the web only to discover some guy had made it up. I’ve revamped the poem to include those that you mentioned in your comments and the Johnny Cash tarantula..apparently named in 2015 having being found near Folsom Prison where he sung. The male of the species look like they’re dressed in black too. :). Cheers - Gary