misleading animal names

starfish

Not related to a fish. The only thing in common with the fish is that they both live in water. They are marine invertebrates with rays or arms that surround a central disk, while fish are limbless vertebrates with fins and gills that live in the water. The alternative name, sea star, describes the creature's features much more accurately than its popularized starfish name.

Catshark

The only cat-like features these sharks embody are elongated eyes, sometimes tiger stripes or leopard spots, and night vision. But this is definitely a "cat" you don't want to pet, let alone be bit by! The animal can have anywhere from 40 to 110 rows of teeth. The good news is that catsharks have appeared to be relatively harmless to humans thus far.

elephant seals

are large, oceangoing earless seals in the genus Mirounga. The two species, the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal, were both hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but their numbers have since recovered.

horsefly

are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. They are often large and agile in flight, and the females bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in sunlight, avoiding dark and shady areas, and are inactive at night

jellyfish

aren't actually fish; they're invertebrates (animals that lack backbones). But they are made of jelly! Well, sort of. Jellyfish are 95 percent water. A lot of its water content comes from the mesoglea, the gelatinous material found in a jellyfish body. Check out these animals that could basically live forever.

flying fox

based on this bat's fox-like face and tufts of orange hair, you could see where this bat may have gotten its name. Unfortunately, this bat has absolutely no ancestral history in the fox family. Flying foxes are some of the largest bats in the world with a wingspan of up to five feet and inhabit the tropics and sub-tropics. And unlike most bats, they use sight instead of echolocation to navigate

Binturong

bearcat, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining population trend that is estimated at more than 30% since the mid 1980s

red panda

eats bamboo like a panda and has dark markings around its eyes like a panda, doesn't mean that it is a panda. The red panda is actually the only living member of its taxonomic family, Ailuridae. Pandas are a part of the Ursidae family. If you're visiting southwestern China or the Himalayas, you may just spot its reddish-brown fur and long, bushy tail on a walk through the fores

king cobra

lone species of the Ophiophagus genus and not a member of the Naja genus. They can kill about 20 people with just one venomous bite. Fortunately, they are incredibly shy and try to avoid people at all costs. And unless you're hiking through the forest in northern India or southeast China, you won't be seeing the likes of a king cobra anytime soon.

seahorse

An estimated 54 species of marine fishes belong to the genus Hippocampus, which is Latin for "horse caterpillar." They may have a head and neck that looks like a horse's, but unfortunately, these tiny creatures aren't exactly built for swimming in the deep sea. The seahorse solely relies on its dorsal fin, which beats 30-70 times per second, to propel them through the water.

koala bear

a striking resemblance to your childhood teddy bear, but it's actually a marsupial. Unlike bears, marsupials give birth to immature babies, who then spend the rest of their time maturing in their mother's pouch similar to a kangaroo's. Don't miss these 23 othe

guinea pig

may be one of the select few rodents that people actually want to own as pets, but in no shape or form is it related to the pig family Suidae. Many theories circulate as to the origins of the animal's moniker. Some historians speculate that the ships leaving the ports of Guinea in West Africa or Guiana in South American may have carried the animals to the European market, while others wonder if roasted guinea pig meat reminded Europeans of that of suckling pigs

kangaroo rat

small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus Dipodomys, are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed this mode of locomotion independently, like several other clades of rodents

mantis shrimp

stomatopods, are marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda. Some species have specialised calcified "clubs" that can strike with great power, while others have sharp forelimbs used to capture prey. They branched from other members of the class Malacostraca

killer whale

they're the largest members of the dolphin family! However, the "killer" part of their name still applies because they lie at the top of the ocean's food chain. The oceanic creature typically lives on a diet of large whales, fish, seals, dolphins (yes, their own family), sharks, and more. Ancient sailors used to call orcas