Taxonomy of Major League Sports - Part II Quiz

Answer: Crotalus atrox

The western diamondback is a rattlesnake species resident in the western United States and Mexico. Unlike other snakes, the western diamondback can be fairly aggressive, and will often stand its ground when threatened, which has led to it being seen as the cause of the majority of snakebite attacks in the United States. Its common name comes from the distinctive diamond pattern on its back, while its scientific name is derived from two separate words - the Greek word κρόταλον (krótalοn), meaning "rattle", and the Latin atrōx, meaning fierce or aggressive.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were founded in 1995 as an MLB expansion franchise to play in Phoenix. So confident was the ownership group set up to bring baseball to the city, that a competition to name the team was held two years before the franchise was awarded. Four choices were offered, plus a space for a write-in entry; Diamondbacks was chosen despite it not being one of the initial options, and the team began play in 1998.

Answer: Panthera tigris

The tiger is one of the so called "big cats", members of the genus Panthera characterised by their size and ability to roar. Of the five species within the genus, the tiger is the largest. Its range extends across Central, South and Southeast Asia, with populations in a number of different areas. The word "panthera" is Latin, and is itself derived from the Greek word πάνθηρ (pánthēr), which have been used to describe large cats for thousands of years. The origin of the Latin word tigris is less well known - it may come from the Persian word tigra, meaning sharp, which may describe the speed of the tiger's leap, although the word is not known to have any association with the animal.

The Detroit Tigers were originally founded in 1894 as part of the Western League. Although not officially given the name, by 1896 the team began to become known as "the Tigers". In 1900, the Western League renamed itself as the American League and, in 1901, declared itself as the second major league, with the Detroit Tigers, as they had officially become, one of the founding members.

Answer: Makaira nigricans

The Atlantic blue marlin is a marlin species, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Atlantic Ocean, which is usually found in the open sea rather than in coastal waters. It is considered to be a single species itself, although there is debate as to whether the related Indo-Pacific blue marlin is a different species or part of the same as the Atlantic blue marlin. The Atlantic blue marlin's scientific name, Makaira nigricans, is derived from the Latin word "machaera", meaning "sword", which refers to its spear-like snout, and the Latin word "nigricans", which means "becoming black", referring to its colouration, which is a deep-blue/black colour on its back, and silvery-white on its underside.

The foundation of the Miami Marlins came about in 1993, when the National League was expanded by two teams. The new team's name, Marlins, came from a number of previous minor league baseball teams from Miami that had used the name Marlins. However, despite being based in Miami, the team was known as the Florida Marlins until 2012 when, as a condition of moving to their new ballpark, they were renamed as the Miami Marlins.

Answer: Icterus galbula

The Baltimore oriole is a small migratory bird, related to the blackbird, and is common in eastern North America. Having black and yellow colouring, which resembles the colours of his coat-of-arms, the bird was named for Lord Baltimore, the first proprietor of Maryland in the 17th century. The Baltimore oriole gets its scientific name from the Greek word ίκτερος (ikteros), meaning "jaundice", as the sight of yellow birds was believed to cure jaundice, and the Latin word "galbula", which is derived from "galbus", meaning yellow.

The Baltimore Orioles' history can be traced back as far as 1877 and a minor league team originally named as the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were a founding member of the American League in 1901, before moving to St Louis in 1902 where they became the Browns. In 1953, the team moved to Baltimore, where they then took the name "Orioles", after Maryland's state bird, which had been used by a number of baseball teams to have played in the city since the 1890s.

Answer: Cyanocitta cristata

The blue jay is a small member of the crow family native to eastern North America. As its name suggests, it is primarily blue, although its chest is white, with black borders on its face and head. Although it breeds in both coniferous and deciduous forests, it is also common in residential areas. The blue jay's genus, Cyanocitta, comes from the Greek word κυάνεος (kyaneos), meaning "blue", and κίσσα (kissa), meaning "jay" or "chattering bird", while the species name, cristata, means "crested" and refers to the blue jay's distinctive crest.

The Toronto Blue Jays were founded as an expansion side in 1976 for the 1977 expansion of Major League Baseball. The team name was selected in a public competition, with the winner suggesting that the team be named for a bird, following the lead of both the Baltimore Orioles and St Louis Cardinals, and that it be a blue coloured bird, as blue was a traditional colour for Toronto's sports teams.

Answer: Pygoscelis papua

The gentoo penguin is a large penguin, generally found in sub-Antarctic islands in the Southern Hemisphere. The gentoo can generally be recognised by a white band across its head, and a bright orange bill. It is the third largest penguin species, and, capable of swimming at speeds of up to 36 km/h, is also the fastest. The genus to which the gentoo belongs, Pygoscelis, derives from the Greek word πῡγή (pugḗ), which means "rump" or "posterior". The species name comes from the mistaken belief by Johann Reinhold Forster that the gentoo originated on the island of New Guinea, which is called "Papua" in the local Indonesian language.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were founded in 1967 as part of that year's expansion of the NHL, which doubled the number of teams in the league. The new team was named as the "Penguins" following a public naming competition - the name was selected as it was shared with the sports teams of nearby Youngstown State University.

Answer: Canis latrans

The coyote is a canine species generally found throughout North America. Smaller than the related wolf, it is regarded as filling the same ecological niche in the Americas as the golden jackal does in Europe and Asia. Despite the coyote being known to settlers from the 18th century onwards, it was not until 1823 that the coyote began to be differentiated from the wolf. The coyote's binomial, Canis latrans, translates as "barking dog", in reference to the large number of sounds that coyotes produce - this comes from the Latin words Canis, meaning dog, and lātrō, meaning "to bark".

The Arizona Coyotes began life in 1972 as the Winnipeg Jets, a founder member of the World Hockey Association. Having moved to the NHL in 1979, the team remained in Canada until 1995, when financial problems led to its owner moving the franchise to Phoenix. A "name-the-team" competition saw the Jets renamed as the Arizona Coyotes, as the coyote was fairly prevalent in Arizona. The newly renamed franchise began play in 1996.

Answer: Anas platyrhynchos

The mallard, also known simply as the wild duck, is a dabbling duck that is native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Africa, Euraisa and the Americas. The ancestor of most breeds of domestic duck, the mallard is extremely adaptable, to the extent that it is considered an invasive species in areas where it has been introduced, as it interbreeds successfully with other, related wild species. The mallard's scientific name is derived from the Latin word for "duck", Anas, and the Greek πλατυρυγχος (platyrhynchus), meaning "broad-billed".

The Anaheim Ducks were founded in 1993 as an NHL expansion franchise. Owned by the Walt Disney Company, the team was originally named as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, with the name coming from the 1992 Disney movie "The Mighty Ducks". Disney eventually sold the franchise in 2005, with the new owners changing the name to the more traditional Anaheim Ducks the same year.

Answer: Carcharodon carcharias

The great white shark is a large species of mackerel shark. Generally found in coastal waters in all of the world's major oceans, the great white is the largest macropredatory fish (macropredatory meaning it is an apex predator), and is responsible for more shark bites on humans than any other species of shark. the great white is the only shark species in its genus, Carcharodon, which comes from the Greek words κάρχαρος (kárkharos), meaning "sharp" or "jagged", and ὀδών (odṓn), meaning "tooth". The species name, carcharias, is also derived from Greek, with the word καρχαρίας (karkharías) meaning "shark".

The San Jose Sharks came about in 1990 as an NHL expansion franchise in an effort to bring major league hockey to the Bay Area. With play scheduled to begin in 1991, a "name-the-team" contest was held, but the winning entry, "Blades", was rejected owing to connotations with knife crime. Instead, the runner-up entry, "Sharks", which was suggested owing to the large number of different shark species in the Pacific, with an area around San Francisco Bay referred to as the "Red Triangle" owing to the large shark populations.

Answer: Puma concolor

The cougar is a large cat, the second largest native to the Americas after the jaguar. With a range stretching from the Yukon in Canada to the Southern Andes, it is the most widespread wild large terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, it is known by a number of different names, including puma, panther and mountain lion in addition to cougar. Despite its size, being the fourth-largest cat species, it is more closely related to the domestic cat than to the so-called "big cats". The genus name, Puma, which is also the common name in Europe and Latin America, is derived from the Quechua word meaning "powerful", while the species name, concolor, is Latin for "of one colour", referring to the cougar's uniform colouration.

The Florida Panthers was one of two NHL expansion franchises founded in 1992, with the intention to start play in 1993. In April 1993, the name of the new team was announced as the Florida Panthers, after the Florida panther, the name given to a population of cougars resident in the state. The name had originally been planned for a baseball team intended for Tampa; the NHL team's owner purchased the Panthers trademark in 1991 to use for his planned hockey team.

Answer: Bos taurus

The European cattle is a large herbivore that serves as one of the primary domesticated livestock animals. Originating in the Near East, it has since become one of the world's most extensive domestic animals, with an estimated 1.5 billion worldwide. As a domesticated animal, it is bred for a number of uses, including meat, milk and its hide for leather, as well as its dung, which can be used either as fuel or fertilizer. The cattle can also be used as a draft animal. The genus name, Bos, derives from the Greek βοῦς (boûs), meaning "cow" (the name of the female of the species), while the species name, "taurus", is the Latin word for "bull" (the name given to the male of the species).

The Chicago Bulls were founded as an NBA expansion franchise in 1966. The team's owner aimed to give the new franchise a name that evoked Chicago's meat-packing industry. Having initially considered names related to bullfighting, such as Matadors or Toreadors, which were dismissed with the rationale that teams with three syllables were rarely successful, he eventually settled on the name "Bulls", after his young son declared to various of his ideas "Dad, that's a bunch of bull!"

Answer: Vespa crabro

The European hornet is a large eusocial wasp native to Europe, and is also the only true hornet to be prevalent in North America. Although it can be aggressive either around its nest, or around food sources, it generally only stings if provoked, and will avoid conflict where possible. Although generally predatory, feeding on other large insects, the European hornet will also feed on fallen fruit where available. The binomial name, Vespa crabro, is derived from the Latin "vespa", meaning "wasp", and "crabro", meaning "hornet".

The Charlotte Hornets were one of four new franchises founded as part of the NBA's expansion in the mid 1980s, and were scheduled to begin play in 1988. Originally planned to be named as the "Spirit", a name-the-team competition instead saw "Hornets" come out as most popular. This stemmed from the 1780 Battle of Charlotte during the Revolutionary War, when General Cornwallis described the city as "a hornet's nest of rebellion". The original Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans in 2002, but the NBA provided for a return to the city by allowing for a potential expansion franchise to start in 2004. This was originally named as the "Bobcats" but, in 2014, gained permission from the NBA to take on the name "Hornets".

Answer: Canis lycaon

The eastern wolf, also known as the timber wolf, is a canine of debated taxonomy native to the Great Lakes region and southeastern Canada. Its status is a matter of debate, with some considering it a subspecies of the gray wolf, and some considering it a species in its own right. As it is smaller than the gray wolf, existing in size between the gray and the coyote, the eastern wolf primarily preys on small to medium-sized animals, such as beavers, unlike the large herd animals that are favoured by the gray. As with its relatives, the eastern wolf's genus is Canis, the Latin for "dog". The species name, lycaon, derives from the Greek λυκάων (lukáōn), which means "wolf".

The Minnesota Timberwolves came from the mid 1980s expansion of the NBA, one of four new teams founded a the same time, with the new team awarded to the Twin Cities due to start play in 1989. In a name-the-team competition, two finalists were chosen for a run-off, "Timberwolves" and "Polars", with Timberwolves selected by a 2 to 1 margin, Minnesota having the largest population of eastern wolves in the lower 48 states.

Answer: Pelecanus occidentalis

The brown pelican is a seabird of the pelican family, native to coasts in North America and the Caribbean. Although primarily a fish eater, it will also feed on amphibians and crustaceans, as well as the eggs and nestlings of other birds. Although it is the smallest member of the pelican family, with a wingspan of almost 2.5m it is often one of the largest seabirds in its native range. the genus name, Pelecanus, is derived from a Greek word, πέλεκυς (pelekys), meaning "axe", in reference to its large bill, while the species name, occidentalis, comes from the Latin "occidēns", meaning "western", which refers to its range across the western hemisphere.

The New Orleans Pelicans began life as the Charlotte Hornets, before moving to Louisiana in 2002. Initially retaining the Hornets name following their move, following the team's sale in 2012, the new owner indicated a desire to change its name. Initially, the ownership favoured the name "Jazz", due to the city's connections with jazz music, but the Utah Jazz refused to cede the name. Instead, the team was renamed as the "Pelicans", after the brown pelican, which is the state bird of Louisiana.

Answer: Buteo jamaicensis

The red-tailed hawk is a small bird-of-prey native to North and Central America and the Caribbean. Although it is colloquially known as the "chickenhawk", it rarely preys on domestic fowl, instead preferring small mammals, amphibians and birds. As a fairly common bird, and one that takes to training well, the red-tail is the most common bird used for falconry in the United States. The binomial name, Buteo jamaicensis, stems from the Latin "buteo", which is the word for "buzzard", and "jamaicensis", which is a Latin constructed word meaning Jamaican, as this is where the species was originally found.

The Atlanta Hawks were originally founded in 1946 as the Buffalo Bison, a team in the new National Basketball League. After less than five weeks in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois, where they became the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, named for Black Hawk, a Native American prominent in the history of Illinois. During this period, the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA. The team was fairly nomadic for the first two decades of its existence, moving to Milwaukee in 1951; having left Illinois, the team dropped the word "Black" from their name, becoming simply the "Hawks". The Hawks moved to St Louis in 1955, before finally settling in Atlanta in 1968.