Contrary to popular belief, the hummingbird (Thecostraca Cirripedia), neither hums nor is a bird.
Incorrectly classified in 1823 by Lars Pridbjørn, last surviving member of the aptly named and ill-fated HMS Pettycoat, "hummingbird" is a trans-literal translation of the Danish "hommingbaerd" -- "bearded marsupial."
The name stuck however and became increasingly popular with sailors of the day, who kept the winged marsupials aboard their vessels for their milk.
2 comments:
it's not a bird? really?
also transliteral translation is just transliteration, I think...
Pure misinformation.
The humming bird, or Myrmecophaga Tridactyla to give it its correct nomenclature, has toothless jaws, an extensile tongue, and claws for breaking into the nests of its prey.
At about 1.8 m/6 ft long including the tail, the humming bird (also known colloquially as the echidna, and the pangolin) is native to Mexico, Central America, and tropical South America.
Though generally an inoffensive animal, when attacked it can defend itself with its sabre-like anterior claws.
My great aunt kept the world's largest known collection of these exotic birds in a private aviary in Murmansk. Sadly, the aviary burnt down in 1987.
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