History Main / DescriptivelyNamedSpecies

* [[InexplicableCulturalTies Inexplicably]] so if the aliens actually refer to themselves, if not as Foul-Smelling Space Devils, as Stinkdevilonians calling attention to the writer's inability to come up with an [[LawOfAlienNames alien-sounding name]] or, alternatively, their {{anvilicious}} [[ShowDontTell approach to characterization]].

** TabletopGame/{{Eberron}} has the Changelings who practice {{humanshifting}} and Shifters, who have a limited ability to shift forms inherited lycanthropes.

** The Futurekind are a variant of humans from JustBeforeTheEndo f the universe.

** Adipose.

** The Futurekind.

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* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}},'' [[OmnicidalManiac the Howlers]], who have a [[MakeMeWannaShout horrible scream]] that incapacitates others, especially sentient species. {{Justified}} because they were created by [[CosmicHorror Crayak]] and probably have no real culture of their own, making them named by him or others whom they've come in contact with.

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'' has several examples:

* Justified in ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}'' and ''VideoGame/SubnauticaBelowZero''. The PDA automatically generates a simple, descriptive name for any scanned species that doesn't appear in its database. This results in, for example, fish with large side-facing eyes being called "Peepers", shark-like creatures that burrow into sand being called "Sand Sharks", and so on.

* The aliens that appear in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' are given the name "Extra-terrestrial Living-metal Shapeshifters", or "ELS" (pronounced "else") by humanity. Whether the ELS even have a name for themselves is unclear; [[StarfishAliens they may not have an equivalent concept]].

* ''Manga/HeterogeniaLinguistico'': The werewolf names for various species are usually very literal translations: "Knowing Water" for {{slimes}}, "Big Jaws" for LizardFolk, "Furless Ones" for both humans and lizardmen. Lizardmen call werewolves "soft" and krakens "wetlegs".
* The alien protagonists from ''LightNovel/CatPlanetCuties'' get called Catians as they have cat ears and tails and their somewhat catlike behaviours.

** It can perhaps be said that the Space Pirate organization is primarily made up of one species (who are referred to in some materials as "Zebesians", though their homeworld as seen ''Prime 3'' is definitely not Zebes), and they are accepting of like-minded individuals from other species. One of the other "Pirate species" shown are named the "Kihunters".

* Most alien species in ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'', with playable races including [[KillerGorilla Apex]] (former HumanAliens who devolved back into ape-like forms in exchange for greater brain power), [[BirdPeople Avian]] (humanoids resembling wingless birds), [[PlantAliens Floran]] (sapient, mobile carnivorous plants) and [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Glitch]] (machines built to simulate evolution of society, stuck in MedievalStasis due to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a glitch]] in their programming). Other species include: [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins Penguins]] (sapient space penguins), [[BadassAdorable Alpaca]] (ProudWarriorRace of alpaca-like space centaurs), [[LivingShadow Shadows]] (living shadows), [[FrogMen Froggs]] (frog-like ProudMerchantRace) and Fennerox ([[FoxFolk humanoid fennec foxes]]).

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* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: the various Tyranid organisms' name were given by the Guardsmen fighting them. Hence Ripper swarms, Gargoyles, Carnifexes (butcher in fake Latin)...

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* A lot of the scientific names given to animals follow this trope. This is more obvious in extinct animals since those don't get to 'hide' behind a common name. Examples include [[StockDinosaurs Triceratops]] (three-horned face) and Ctenochasma (comb jaw). It should, however, be noted that most of these names are given based on outstanding features compared to related animals, [[ScienceMarchesOn thus many names become less telling once it turns out that the animal is related to a ridiculous amount of animals that share said 'unique' feature.]] Luckily for most writers, [[SmallTaxonomyPools most people will never find out about the other dozen three-horned faces.]]

* A lot of the scientific names given to animals follow this trope. This is more obvious in extinct animals since those don't get to 'hide' behind a common name. Examples include [[StockDinosaurs Triceratops]] (three-horned face) and [[SeldomSeenSpecies Ctenochasma]] (comb jaw). It should, however, be noted that most of these names are given based on outstanding features compared to related animals, [[ScienceMarchesOn thus many names become less telling once it turns out that the animal is related to a ridiculous amount of animals that share said 'unique' feature.]] Luckily for most writers, [[SmallTaxonomyPools most people will never find out about the other dozen three-horned faces.]]

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Project Avalon", the Subterrons live a subterranean existence. What ''they'' call themselves is anyone's guess.

* ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureJojolion Jojolion]]'' has the Rock Humans, otherwise perfectly-human-like beings with the ability to grow a skin of solid rock at will. They also have lifespans in excess of two hundred years, and 95% of them are Stand users. Closely related are the Rock Animals, creatures with all the traits of Rock Humans, but a nonhumanoid form and animal-level intelligence.

* [[InsectoidAliens The Hivers]] in ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'', which is a name used by humans and not by the species itself (their name, translated to English, means "The Children"). Also the Zuul, who are a descriptively named species in Liir speech: The word is a root of the Liir term for "abominable". The Zuul have no name for themselves, their telepathy doing odd things to their sense of personal identity, and probably don't care what others call them.

* The Paranid race in the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' is a clear pun on "para''noid''". While not exactly paranoid, they are severely xenophobic. The Split are a highly fractious and aggressive race that is often embroiled in civil wars. The Xenon are derived from the word "xenomorph" (fancy term for "alien lifeform"), and the shortened form "xenon" used to be slang among the Argon for any alien species, but over time it came to refer to the Xenon exclusively.

* The dragon-like Dracons of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' games. The rat-like Rattkins count as well as the feline Fel''purr''s, the canine Ra''wulf''s and the '''T'''a'''ran'''tula-like T'Rang.

* This is true of most of the species in ''VideoGame/{{FTL}}''. Perfectly matched for the mantis, slug, and rock species. A bit more of a stretch but still pretty spot on for the engi (short for engineer). Really the only one that doesn't fit is the zoltan.

** Schlock is a "carbo-silicate amorph". In this case it kind of makes sense, because his species didn't evolve naturally and give themselves a name; they were originally data storage units which happened to spontaneously gain sentience (in a very literal sense, Schlock is all brain).
** The Uniocs. Discussed trope, as Kevyn asks why the Uniocs were called that, rather than "Oth-ers" upon hearing that their name for their homeworld is "Oth". Turns out, they wanted to be called "one-eyes", and not "strangers".
** The [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2002-12-16 Tetrisoids]]. Body structure consisting of a head with four limbs (apparently adapted for locomotion and manipulation) arranged tetrahedrally.

** Angel Hairs, an UpliftedAnimal from a gas giant ecology, made up of extremely long floating strands.

** Two more notable examples are when it turns out that the nickname Ben gave his forms is actually spot on for the actual species name, translated from DogLatin. Fourarm is an example of a Tetramand, a species whose most notable trait is that they [[MultiArmedAndDangerous have four arms]]. Likewise, there are Arachnosimians, who look [[MixAndMatchCritters half spider, half monkey,]] which Ben called Spidermonkey.

** There would actually be quite a few examples: the Amphibiosans (amphibians), the Brain-Spawn (floating brains), the Amazonians (a OneGenderRace of gigantic women), etc. The Nibblonians also sort of count, using that name on the grounds that they're "like Nibbler." (Presumably, they have their own name that would take longer than the age of the universe to pronounce.)

* The [[OctopoidAliens Octaliens]] from ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw.'' One of the inexplicable examples, since [[NamedAfterTheirPlanet their home world is named Octalia]] and they explicitly aren't AliensSpeakingEnglish (unless "Octalia" is something their TranslatorMicrobes came up with).

* A lot of the scientific names given to animals follow this trope. This is more obvious in extinct animals since those don't get to 'hide' behind a common name. Examples include [[StockDinosaurs Triceratops]] (three-horned face) and [[SeldomSeenSpecies Ctenochasma]] (comb jaw). It should, however, be noted that most of these names are given based on outstanding features compared to related animals, [[ScienceMarchesOn thus many names become less telling once it turns out that the animal is related to a ridiculous amount of animals which share said 'unique' feature.]] Luckily for most writers, [[SmallTaxonomyPools most people will never find out about the other dozen three-horned faces.]]
* This was a common thing in ancient Egypt where, among other examples, their name for "cat" was "mau" and their name for "donkey" was "A" (the way they onomatopoeized the donkey's sound, which we write out as "hee haw"). It's basically as if they approached these animals, asked "pardon me good sir, but what are you?", the animal made a sound, and they said "very well then!"

* The most famous example is probably the octopus, "octo" being Greek for "eight" and "pus" for "feet".

* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' features several breeds of Tamagotchi that are named after the object they resemble, such as with Belltchi and Hoshitchi ("hoshi" being Japanese for "star"). This is actually the "outsiders naming them" variety; Professor Banzo and his assistant Mikachu named each species of Tamagotchi as they discovered them, naming them after Earth culture and objects. After returning to their planet, the Tamagotchis adapted the naming conventions given to them, as well as [[AliensSpeakingEnglish the language spoken by humans]].

* The Sackers from the Star Trek novel ''Literature/TheThreeMinuteUniverse'' were named because their bodies looked like roughly human [[BrownNoteBeing shaped bags of disgusting]]. They kept the name because the race as a whole considers nicknames an honor, especially if they come from an alien race. Near the end of the book the species name for themselves is revealed: Vinithi.

** The Doctor himself is a Time Lord.
*** Strictly speaking that's his title, not his species. He's actually a [[NamedAfterTheirPlanet Gallifreyan]].

** The Abzorbaloff. Absorbs people.

** The Romulans and Remans come from Romulus and Remus, respectively. When they're introduced in the {{Prequel}} show ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', the uneducated crew of Enterprise is apparently not surprised that those aliens are named for mythological figures from Earth. The prequel could have easily turned this trope around by having humans name the Romulans "Romulans".
*** Non-canon novels establish that both the Romulans and the Vulcans really have different names.
*** And yet when Hoshi mis-translates the name as "Romalin", T'pol corrects her.

*** Also, The Swarm, though in that case it's because they are so xenophobic no-one knows what they call themselves.

* Mocked on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Dean comes across a new type of demon that no one has ever seen before, so Bobby says that Dean gets to name it. Dean calls them [[Music/JeffersonStarship Jefferson Starships,]] "because they're horrible and hard to kill."

* The most famous example probably being the Octopus. Octo being Greek for "eight" and "pus" for "feet".