BillyMac wroteStudents came into my lesson believing that "scientific" names were stupid, and that "common" names were good enough. Students left my lesson believing the opposite.
One of my best lessons.
There are over one-hundred "common" names for one bird, the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) including yellowhammer, pigeon woodpecker, and golden winged woodpecker.
The cougar (Puma concolor), a single animal, has many "common" names, including puma, mountain lion, catamount, and panther.
And true "panthers" can be leopards (Panthera pardus) or jaguars (Panthera onca).
Cougars are not true "panthers"
Lions (Panthera leo) and tigers (Panthera tigris) are also true "panthers".
And the Florida panther isn't a real "panther", it's a cougar (Puma concolor).
Confused? That's the point.
Stick to the Latin scientific names and you won't be.
Catfish, crayfish, silverfish, jellyfish, starfish.
Only one is a fish (and it isn't a member of the cat (Felidae) family).
One doesn't even live in the water.