My Geek Worlds Collide

08/24/2009

In addition to being a complete nature geek, I'm a science fiction and fantasy nerd too.  So when I stumbled across this list of 30 real animals that are named after scifi/fantasy characters, authors and creatures, I had to share.

My favorite?  The trilobite named Han solo (if you don't get that reference, you should probably stop reading this blog post now). 

This also made me realize that the influence works both ways.  A good number of scifi/fantasy stories are based on or include real animals or their behavior.  Usually it's something normal and natural that, put into a fictional context, creates a new and bizarre scenario.  Think of the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park movies, the parasitic and predatory creatures of the Alien franchise, the fierce yet loyal, lovable and ultimately dog-like Wookiees of Star Wars, or, my personal favorite, the feral Wolfriders of Elfquest.  And who can look at a marine iguana of the Galapagos Islands and not see Godzilla?

There are dozens of examples.  Who can think of other times when animals or their behavior have inspired the scifi/fantasy genre?

Elfquest art copyright Warp Graphics, Inc. Elfquest, its logos, characters, situations, all related indicia, and their distinctive likenesses are trademarks of Warp Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Lauren Boyle]

Too funny! Who knew!?

[K-$$]

How is the Narwhal not on the list? Isn't that where unicorns come from?

[David Mizejewski]

Hey K-$$ - that's a great one. The "horn" of the narwhal whale is actually a modified tooth. Here's some more info from http://archaeozoo.wordpress.com/2007/09/15/narwhals-or-unicorns/:

"Case Study: Narwhal Tusk into Unicorn Horn

The narwhal tusk is an elongated left upper incisor found in the jaws of adult males (and exceptionally females), which can grow up to 3m in length. Restricted to Arctic waters, the largest population, and almost certainly the primary source for medieval western markets, was located in the waters around Greenland, most likely Baffin Bay and Kane Basin. The extend of medieval narwhal hunting is difficult to gauge, but was probably infrequent and dangerous. Fragments of narwhal are rare in archaeological contexts.

Transported via major trade routes across the Atlantic, they reached the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Baltic. In this new cultural context they were appropriated as unicorn horns. Seigneurial interest in unicorn products for visual display is illustrated by documents recording the feast given in honour of Margaret of York and Charles the Bold of Burgundy in 1468. These describe unicorn horns being placed on the sideboard. As recognised wards against poisoning, one function of these objects may have been to discourage assassination. Narwhal tusks were also used in the staffs and crosiers of ecclesiastical personages.

Western knowledge of the narwhal as an animals appears to have been restricted to Scandinavian mercantile and courtly circles, the origin being obscured by subsequent exchanges. As narwhal tusks they were, therefore, culturally redundant. Their new identity as unicorn horn was deliberately constructed and maintained."

[Jefe Roberto]

Giant scorpions from "Clash of the Titans"
Giant spiders from Harry Potty and Lord of the Rings
Minotaurs of Minaea
Vampires... though I think the bat was named after the monster later on.
and what's a Vampire without a Werewolf
The Medieval and Chinese dragons could have originated from any number of animals.
The Greeks also had a creature called a Basilisk (of no relation to the family Corytophanidae)
I have also read of an animal called a Basilisk, which was a 3-footed chicken that ran really fast, and the 3rd foot was used to grab your soul. (I can't remember it's origin off the top of my head.)
Mermaids probably have a Manatee or Dugong origin.

[Natalie Bailey]

I think the movie Alien was inspired by the life cycle of a calcidoid wasp. It lays eggs inside a host and the adult comes bursting out, killing the host.