A White Shark by Any Other Name
Despite their sometimes jaw-breaking appearance, scientific names actually simplify matters by allowing biologists from any country to exchange information with biologists in any other with a minimum of confusion. For example, the White Shark is a wide-ranging animal, inhabiting the waters off many countries. The White Shark is also an infamous animal, so it often has names even in countries where it does not occur. In each of these countries, the White Shark has one or more vernacular names. Consider the following (far from comprehensive) list:
Algeria: kalb bahr
Australia: Great White Shark, white pointer, white death, tommy shark
Canada: Great White Shark, mangeur d'homme, grand requin blanc
Croatia: pas ljudozder
Denmark: blå haj, store hvide haj, menneskehaj
France: grand requin blanc, requin blanc, requin mangeur d'homme, lamie, carcharodonte
Germany: menschenhai, weisshai
Greece: skylópsaro sbríllios, carcharos
Italy: pescecane, grande squalo bianco, squalo bianco, mangia alice & damiano (Naples), tunnu palamitu di funnu (Catania), pici bistinu (Messina)
Japan: hôjiro, hohojirozame
Malta: kelb il-bahar, kelb-il-bahar abjad, silfjun, huta tax-xmara
Morocco: kalb bahr
Netherlands: mensen haai, witte haai
Portugal: tubarão de São Tomé, tubarãos branco, tibarão-come-homens
Russia: geldevaja akula
South Africa: Great White Shark, blue pointer, tommy shark, uptail, witdoodshaai
Spain: jaquetón blanco, jaquetón, tiburon blanco, devorador de hombres, tauró blanc (Catalunya), salroig (Majorca), marraco (Barcelona), sarda (Canaries)
Sweden: stora, vita hajen
Tunisia: kalb bahr
Turkey: karkarias
United States: Great White Shark, maneater
Yugoslavia: pas modrulj, pas liudozder
But in scientific circles, the White Shark's formal name appears exactly as you see it here: Carcharodon carcharias. By using this name, a biologist in Russia can correspond with biologists in Japan, France, and Australia and - regardless of what other linguistic hurdles that might be encountered - can be absolutely certain they are all discussing the same animal.
