So there's a ceratopsian that was described this year called Gremlin

[Newt]

Scientists having some fun with scientific names is nothing new. Sonic Hedgehog Anyone?
 I wouldn't want every animal named like this, but a few here and there doesn't hurt. Plus if it helps to get the public interested then that's a win to me.

Just wait for Pepsiosaurus and Verizodon lol

I wouldn't be surprised. Especially if they start funding digs.

There's also a fossil bandicoot named Crash bandicoot.

I've been reading up on glyptodonts lately, and some of their genus names are truly awful modifications of other genus names. For example, beginning with the perfectly respectable genus name Hoplophorus (Greek "shield bearer") we get the following names:


Parahoplophorus
Palaehoplophorus
Propalaehoplophorus
Parapropalaehoplophorus (ugh!)
Plohophorus (anagram of Hoplophorus)
Pseudoplohophorus
Plohophoroides

This is much worse than Gremlin, which is at least distinctive. Much of this nonsense is the doings of Ameghino, who also liked to create genera based on the full names of his peers: Thomashuxleya, Henricosbornia, Oldfieldthomasia, etc. More recent researchers of South American mammals have continued the tradition with Brucemacfaddenia and Federicoanaya. These are better than the suffix salads and gobbledygook of the glyptodont names, but not by much.

[SidB]

@Newt , that's absolutely hilarious!