Taxonomy of Major League Sports - Part I Quiz

Answer: Tursiops truncatus

The common bottlenose dolphin is a cetacean that forms part of the family delphinidae. Due to its exposure in marine parks, as well as in movies and on television, it is perhaps the most well-known dolphin species. As with other bottlenose dolphins, it belongs in the genus Tursiops, which is derived from the Latin word "tursio", which means "dolphin", and which includes both the common bottlenose and the related Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphin. The species name, "truncatus", comes from their truncated teeth. Until 1998, it was believed that all bottlenose dolphins belonged to a single species, when it was determined that dolphins in the Pacific and Indian oceans were a separate species.

In 1965, the city of Miami was awarded an expansion franchise in the American Football League, with a contest held to decide the new team's name. Eight choices were selected by a local committee from the 19,000 entries, with "Dolphins" selected, and the new team making its AFL debut in 1966.

Answer: Corvus corax

The common raven is a large black bird, possibly the largest passerine (perching or songbird), and the most widely distributed of all species in the family corvidae. The common raven, along with other ravens, forms part of the genus Corvus, alongside crows and rooks - indeed, "corvus" is the Latin word for "crow". The species name, "corax", is the latinized version of the Greek word κόραξ (kórax), which means "raven". The success of the common raven has been attributed to both its omnivorous diet, which consists of carrion, insects, cereals, fruit, small animals and nesting birds, meaning that it can survive in many different habitats, and its high intelligence level and problem-solving abilities.

The Baltimore Ravens came about following the decision by Art Modell, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, to move the franchise to Baltimore. Given the decision to allow the city of Cleveland to retain the name and history of the Browns, Modell's franchise was treated as an expansion team, and was to be given a new name. A fan vote saw the name "Ravens" chosen for the new team, alluding to Baltimore's connection with Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote the classic poem "The Raven".

Answer: Panthera onca

The jaguar is a cat that is one of the members of the group of so-called "big cats", which is to say large cats that have the capability to roar. Of the five species within the genus Panthera, the jaguar is the only one that is native to the Americas. The word "panthera" is Latin, and is itself derived from the Greek word πάνθηρ (pánthēr), which has been used to describe large cats for thousands of years. The jaguar's species name, onca, comes from the Portuguese word onça, which was used as a name in Brazil for a spotted cat larger than a lynx.

The Jacksonville Jaguars was one of two expansion franchises admitted to the NFL in 1995. The team's name was selected through a naming contest, with the winner, "Jaguars", selected due to Jacksonville Zoo at the time being home to the oldest jaguar in North America.

Answer: Haliaeetus leucocephalus

The bald eagle is a large bird-of-prey native to North America. Classed as a sea eagle, it is found close to large bodies of open water, as its diet primarily consists of fish. Its given name derives from the fact that, although its body and wing feathers are largely brown, the feathers on its head and neck are white. The bald eagle forms part of the genus Haliaeetus, which is derived from the Greek word ἁλιάετος (haliaetos), meaning "sea eagle", while its species name, leucocephalus, is a latinized compound of the Greek words λευκός (leukos), meaning "white", and κεφαλή (kephalḗ), meaning "head".

The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the NFL's oldest teams, having been founded in 1932 as a replacement for the defunct Frankford Yellow Jackets. At the time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was introducing his "New Deal" policy of economic stimulus and recovery, so the franchise's owners adopted the eagle logo of the National Recovery Administration, and named the new team the Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles began play in the 1933 NFL season.

Answer: Ursus arctos

The brown bear is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. One of the largest living carnivores, it is rivalled in size only by its slightly larger relative, the polar bear. Although the brown bear is a species by itself, it has a number of subspecies, which are individual populations in different areas, which exhibit slightly different characteristics, with Eurasian bears often smaller than American bears. The scientific name, Ursus arctos, comes from the Latin "ursus", meaning "bear", and the Greek ἄρκτος (arktos), which also means "bear", making the translation "Bear bear".

The Chicago Bears are one of two teams to have been founder members of the NFL that are still in the league today. The franchise was originally founded in 1920 in Decatur, Illinois as the Decatur Staleys, named for a local food starch producer. The team moved to Chicago in 1921, when the Chicago Cubs baseball team allowed the Staleys to play at their stadium, Cubs Park. In 1922, the team was renamed as the Chicago Bears, as a thank you to the help provided by the Cubs.

Answer: Panthera leo

The lion is a member of the cat family belonging to the genus Panthera, which classifies it as a "big cat". The lion once ranged across much of Africa, Southern Europe and Asia, although today its main populations are in sub-Saharan Africa, with a small population also present in western India. The lion is unique among big cats, as it is the only one that is social, living in large family groups. The lion's species name, leo, is the Latin word for "lion", and derives from the Greek λέων (leon).

The Detroit Lions were originally founded in 1930 as the Portsmouth Spartans, based in Portsmouth, Ohio. Owing to financial problems, the Spartans left Portsmouth in 1934, moving to Detroit. The team's new owner decided that, in an effort to make his new team "the king of the NFL jungle", he would rename them as the "Lions", which also tied in to the city's existing baseball team, the Detroit Tigers.

Answer: Falco peregrinus

The peregrine falcon is a small bird-of-prey belonging to the falcon family. Extremely adaptable, it can be found almost everywhere except for the polar regions, high mountains, and tropical rainforests, with the only major ice-free landmass from which it is completely absent being New Zealand, making it one of the most widely found bird species. The peregrine's scientific name, Falco peregrinus, comes from a medieval Latin phrase first used in 1225 by Albertus Magnus, and means "wandering falcon", which comes from the migratory habits of northern populations.

The Atlanta Falcons was founded as an NFL expansion franchise in 1965, beginning play in 1966. A competition was held to decide the new team's name. The competition's winner was one of 40 who suggested the name "Falcons", writing in her entry "The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It's deadly and has a great sporting tradition."

Answer: Cardinalis cardinalis

The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird native to North and north Central America. Males of the species are a bright red colour (which gives rise to the shade of red known as "cardinal"), while females are a more reddish-olive, while both have a distinctive crest on their head. The northern cardinal's scientific name has altered several times since it was first classfied, with the current name only applied in 1983. Both the scientific name, "cardinalis", and the common name, "cardinal", are derived from Roman Catholic cardinals, who wear distinctive red robes and caps.

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest club in the NFL, with a history dating back to 1898, when the Morgan Athletic Club was founded in Chicago. In 1901, the team acquired a set of used, faded maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago, with the colour described as "cardinal red", with the team adopting the name "Cardinals". The Cardinals were a founder member of the NFL in 1920 as the Chicago Cardinals, before moving, first to St Louis in 1960, and then to Phoenix in 1988.

Answer: Ovis canadensis

The bighorn sheep is a wild sheep species, one of two that are native to North America. The bighorn primarily ranges from southwestern Canada to Baja California. The name "bighorn" comes from the large, spiral shaped horns present in rams; although ewes also have horns, these are much smaller. The bighorn's scientific name comes from the overall genus name for all sheep species, Ovis, which is simply the Latin for sheep, and "canadensis", which is a New Latin word for Canada, and is used for a number of organisms from Canada.

the Los Angeles Rams were originally founded in 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio as part of the newly founded American Football League. The name was chosen by the team's first coach, who was a fan of Fordham University's team, which was also called the Rams. The Cleveland Rams joined the NFL in 1937, and first moved to Los Angeles in 1946. In 1995, the team moved to St Louis, spending twenty years in Missouri before returning to Los Angeles in 2015.

Answer: Pandion haliaetus

The western osprey, more commonly known simply as the osprey, and also called the seahawk, is a large, primarily fish-eating bird-of-prey. The osprey has a wide geographical range, present on every continent except Antarctica (although it is a non-breeding migratory visitor to South America). As a result of its unique, specialised hunting abilities for its almost exclusively fish-eating diet, the osprey has its own genus, Pandion. This is derived from the mythical King Pandion of Athens, whose daughters were turned into birds. The species name, haliaetus, is derived from the Greek ἁλιάετος (haliáetos), meaning "sea-eagle".

The Seattle Seahawks were founded in 1976 as an expansion franchise when the NFL was increased from 26 to 28 teams. The team's name was selected following a public contest, as ospreys are common in and around Washington state between late March and September.