What Is It?
Check out these nicknames for common animals. What nicknames do you know?
Mammals
Raccoon
trash panda: tendency to forage for trash and black patches around the eyes like pandas
Coyotes
yodel dogs; high-pitched “bark” sounds like a yodel
American jackal; similar to jackals in appearance and behaviors
White-tailed deer
Virginia deer; deer were abundant in Virginia, so when settlers moved west, they started calling the deer Virginia deer
Bobcat
wildcat; live in the wild
Bison
buffalo; similar build, different species
Armadillos
tactical possums; similar size and build to opossums but can roll into their protective shell
Texas speed bumps; get run over often in Texas
pocket dinosaurs; Jurassic-look
armored pig; look like little pigs with a defensive shell
Deer mice
white-ankled mice; often have white feet and undersides
Skunk
polecat; first English settlers mistook skunks for polecats
Fish
Channel catfish -
fiddler; for tendency to “fiddle” with bait
mudcat; gets confused with flathead catfish, people unaware the difference
Largemouth bass
bucketmouth; for their mouth that extends further than other bass
mossback; name for large, slow fish
Bass
hawg; large bass fight back similar to wild hogs
Hogzilla; combination of hogs and Godzilla for their size and aggression
Blue catfish
channel cat; similarity to channel catfish, people unaware of the difference
giant blue; for their ability to grow up to 100 pounds and 5 feet long
Gar
gator; alligator-shaped head and rows of teeth
sea needle; long slender body and sharp teeth
Snapper
bream; considered part of the bream family
porgy; American Indian name for fertilizer, which is what the fish were used for in colonial times,
old man snapper; face looks like an old man
Speckled trout
speck; shortened
yellowmouths; mouths often have yellow coloring
Flounder
fluke; specific name for summer flounder
flatfish; bodies are flatter than other fish
Black crappie
papermouth; delicate mouth tissue
calico bass; light and dark speckled coloring
specks; referring to speckled coloring
sacalait; Cajun French for “milk bag” referring to either silver scales or milky colored flesh
Freshwater drum
gaspergou; Cajun name referring to black drum’s diet of mussels
sheepshead; misidentification
Flathead catfish
yellow cat; body coloring is pale yellow
opelousa cat (ops); named after a city in Louisiana
pied cat; due to various colorings
Mississippi cat; native to Mississippi River
mudcat; for muddy taste
shovelhead; broad and flattened head that looks like a shovel
White crappie
sacalait; Cajun French for “milk bag” referring to either silver scales or milky colored flesh
calico bass; light and dark vertical bars on coloring
Bluegills
bream; part of bream family
perch; regional name, not accurate
sunfish; part of sunfish family
gills; shortened
Striped bass
striper; stripes along body side
rockfish; tendency to hide in or under rocks and reef
lineside; again for stripes along their body side
White bass
sand bass; ability to spawn in sandy points in lakes
streaker; horizontal lines on the side of their bodies
silver bass; silver scale coloring
Red drum
redfish; for coppered-colored scales
bull red; nickname for large red drum
Sheepshead
sheephead; large sheep looking teeth
bay snapper; for it’s taste similar to red snapper
Birds
Wild turkeys
thunder chicken; for their resemblance to chickens and loud, shrill gobble call
Ring-necked pheasant
ringneck; shortened
ditch parrot; colorful feathers and common appearances near roadsides
Scaled quail
cotton-top; white tuft of feathers on top of their head
blue quail; blue-gray feathers
Crested caracara
Mexican eagle; common folklore about the bird including a suspicion that the this is the bird on the Mexican flag
Turkey vulture
buzzard, turkey buzzard; early settlers mistook vultures for hawks, buzzard is the British term for hawk
Northern cardinal
redbird; refers to color of feathers
American coot
mud hen; for their love of marshes and ditches
pouldeau; Cajun name, means “water hen”
House sparrow
little brown birds; for their size and color
Downy woodpecker
sapsucker; drill holes in trees to let the sap come out, don’t actually suck sap
House finch
linnet; comes from latin for flax: linum, the finch likes to eat flax seeds
American robin
harbinger of spring; their migration patterns, more show up in early spring
wake robin; often the first birds singing at dawn in the springtime
American Goldfinch
goldie; shortened
King Harry; after King Henry VIII
Barred owl
hoot owl, eight-hooter owl; distinctive 8-9 note hooting call
Great blue heron
Marsh hen; often found in marsh areas
Shag poke; perhaps for the shaggy appearance of their feathers
Ol' Cranky; loud squawk,
Yellow rumped warbler
butterbutt; bright yellow patch near their tail
Summer tanager
bee bird; eats bees and wasps
Other
Snakes (in general)
danger noodle; noodle shape, perception of danger
Rattlesnake
rattlers; distinctive rattle noise from their tail
velvet-tail; distinctive black tail
Alligator
gator; shortened
swamp puppies; look like they could be cute/want scratches, actually very dangerous (do not pet)
Bats
flying rodents; fuzzy rodent-looking bodies plus wings
Crane fly
mosquito hawks; diet of mosquitoes
Silverfish
firebrats; preference of hot, humid environments like attics in the summer and furnaces in the winter
Copperhead snake
pilot; originally “pilot rattlesnake” because it was believed that they led the way for rattlesnakes and if you saw a copperhead, a rattlesnake was nearby
chunkhead; for their slow-moving
poplar leaf; for coloring that blends in with fallen leaves
Monarch butterflies
milkweed butterflies; female monarchs lay eggs in milkweed plants and their caterpillars feed on them
harvester butterfly; the monarch’s return signaled the corn was ready to harvest
Outdoor Tips from Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine offers valuable insights for nature enthusiasts, providing expert advice on everything from wildlife observation to camping and fishing. It’s a great resource for staying informed about conservation efforts and discovering the best outdoor activities across Texas.
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