Lutrasimilis–my new favorite word!
It’s Latin for “otter-like,” and it’s the species name assigned to a newly discovered semi-aquatic mammal from the age of dinosaurs.
The new old critter’s full name is “Castorocauda [beaver-tailed] lutrasimilis,” and the name says it all. Its skeleton suggests webbing between the toes, like an otter’s, but its tail is as flat as any beaver’s. Scientists believe that this is the earliest fur-bearing animal they’ve yet found. I don’t know how they can tell this from a skeleton, since skeletons don’t usually have fur, but they must have their ways.
Having recently gotten married, I’m having so much trouble deciding exactly what my last name now is: his, mine, or a combination of the two. Maybe I’ll just chuck the whole thing and go by “Lutrasimilis.”
By the way, an astute reader from Denver suggested, in response to my 2/18 post, that otters would participate in the skeleton event in the Olympics. I have to admit that this was exactly what I had in mind, since skeleton involves sliding down the ice on your belly, something otters love to do anyway.
Add comment February 25th, 2006