Hallworth, M. et al
After years of ridicule, members of Smilisca sila, a species of tree frog found in Central America, have finally begun an overdue petition to remove the “pug-nose” from their common name.
“Scientists came into our forests and decided that we’d be called ‘pug-nosed tree frogs,’ and quite frankly, it’s insulting,” said Ribbit, a local frog activist. “When you talk about something being ‘pug-nosed’, you talk about how it’s been flattened or crushed. You might as well call us ‘broken-nosed’ or ‘boot-to-the-face tree frogs.’”
When asked what they’d rather be called, Ribbit seemed to suggest that basically anything would be better. “There’s a lot about us that make us distinct. How about calling us ‘Cool Nocturnal Tree Frogs’, or ‘Yellow Arm With Spots Frogs’? Or even ‘Creamy-White Ventral Frogs’.”
Ribbit later reversed his opinion on the name ‘Creamy-White’, upon hearing how gross it sounded out-loud.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like the petition will go very far, because if the frogs had bothered to do a simple wikipedia search, they’d find that they are primarily known as Panama cross-banded tree frog.
