# How do you pronounce it???



## abclements (Jul 18, 2013)

Alright, this may be a little weird, but I've never actually heard the word Sulcata pronounced. I've only just read it and I wouldn't be shocked if I was slightly dislexic lol I've been pronouncing it in my head as "Sal-cut-a" which I think is probably wrong... is it "Sul-cat-a", "Sul-cot-a", ...

I honestly have been too embarrassed to ask this question for a while but I finally decided to suck it up and get educated


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## ascott (Jul 18, 2013)

Sul ca ta


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## wellington (Jul 18, 2013)

The last one is the way I would explain how it's pronounced


Ascotts way is even better.


Even easier is sully


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## ascott (Jul 18, 2013)

> Even easier is sully



Totally agree.....


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## farber2028 (Jul 18, 2013)

so funny I had this thought literally 15 minutes ago


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## Millerlite (Jul 18, 2013)

The exact reason we name out tortoises  haha jk I say it sully ca ta pie


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## abclements (Jul 18, 2013)

Haha Thanks everyone! Farber, I'm just glad it's not only me lol!


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## Team Gomberg (Jul 18, 2013)

I had the hardest time with quite a few words at first.

Scute was the weirdest one for me in the beginning 

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app


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## wellington (Jul 18, 2013)

Team Gomberg said:


> I had the hardest time with quite a few words at first.
> 
> Scute was the weirdest one for me in the beginning
> 
> ...



Haha, I knew how to say it, but every time I do, it sounds wrong


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## abclements (Jul 18, 2013)

Sulcata, schute, brumate, aestiviate...oh what other words do we have that are difficult/exotic sounding?? It took me forever to be comfortable with saying enclosure because it sounds kinda stuck up, then I was like, "well I guess I kinda am stuck up about the way I take care of my tort" lol


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## jjsull33 (Jul 18, 2013)

abclements said:


> Sulcata, schute, brumate, aestiviate...oh what other words do we have that are difficult/exotic sounding?? It took me forever to be comfortable with saying enclosure because it sounds kinda stuck up, then I was like, "well I guess I kinda am stuck up about the way I take care of my tort" lol



Hahaha yes, that is why I call them pens and tubs haha. I also came to the same conclusion, I am kinda stuck up about how I care for them. 

I always pronounce sulcata as sul-ca-ta, however I don't know where to begin when it comes to aestiviate haha


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## abclements (Jul 18, 2013)

A-steve-e-ate??? That's my best guess lol


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## jaizei (Jul 18, 2013)

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=aestivate&submit=Submit


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## Yvonne G (Jul 18, 2013)

Chelonian is another one that is mispronounced.


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## wellington (Jul 18, 2013)

Yvonne G said:


> Chelonian is another one that is mispronounced.



Cha low nian? Is how I pronounce it, correct?


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## immayo (Jul 18, 2013)

I know exactly how you feel!! I have no real life tortoise friends so all the words I know are from how I perceive them on the forum. I felt so dumb when I visited Jeff in Cali and I was saying things all wrong! Haha I know I say Sulcata wrong, I pronounce it Sul-kay-duh. And I don't even remember how Sphangnum is suppose to be pronounced but I say it Sss-fag-num in my head. Oh the way things get misinterpreted through text.


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## wellington (Jul 18, 2013)

immayo said:


> I know exactly how you feel!! I have no real life tortoise friends so all the words I know are from how I perceive them on the forum. I felt so dumb when I visited Jeff in Cali and I was saying things all wrong! Haha I know I say Sulcata wrong, I pronounce it Sul-kay-duh. And I don't even remember how Sphangnum is suppose to be pronounced but I say it Sss-fag-num in my head. Oh the way things get misinterpreted through text.



Hey, are you sure Jeff wasn't saying it all wrong. Just kidding Jeff, ya know I love ya . Just couldn't let it go by


Is it "sfag num" moss?


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## tortadise (Jul 18, 2013)

Chelonian-ke lone e in
Sulcata- sull ka ta
Pssomobates- som o bot is
Scute- its cute ( but say it really fast) lol

Some can get hard for sure. Latin helps though. Like pssomabates is a tough one for everyone.


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## abclements (Jul 18, 2013)

*Re: RE: How do you pronounce it???*



tortadise said:


> Chelonian-ke lone e in
> Sulcata- sull ka ta
> Pssomobates- som o bot is
> Scute- its cute ( but say it really fast) lol
> ...



For scute I've always said "shoot" and I sound like I'm sneezing when I say "it cute" super fast lol 

What is a pssomabate? Can't say I've ever heard that one...


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## blueturtle (Jul 19, 2013)

I've heard scute said correctly before but no matter what, i always read it and pronounce it like "scoot" as in scoot over! lol


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## thatrebecca (Jul 19, 2013)

Oh man. So I've been saying scute wrong? I had no idea. I have no torty friends AFK.


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## wellington (Jul 19, 2013)

thatrebecca said:


> Oh man. So I've been saying scute wrong? I had no idea. I have no torty friends AFK.



I doubt it. It's all everyone's interpretation really. I would bet its scoot (scute).


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## tortadise (Jul 19, 2013)

abclements said:


> tortadise said:
> 
> 
> > Chelonian-ke lone e in
> ...



Pssomabates is a genus of tent tortoises from south Africa.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2013)

It's amazing how often the word "sulcata" gets botched. A few Craigslist ads reposted here even spelled the word "sucada," no doubt because that's how some people hear it.

Sulcata is pronounced "sull-CAH-tuh." It comes from the Latin _sulcus_, meaning furrow or crevice. It refers to the unique shape of this tortoise's marginal scutes, which curl up a bit, creating a spoon-like concavity on the top.

Speaking of scute, this word is correctly pronounced "scewt," and rhymes with cute and mute. People often say it like "scoot" (rhymes with boot and fruit), but that is not the preferred pronunciation.

Other word pronunciations:

Brumate is pronounced "BROO-mate" (a reptilian form of hibernation)

Aestivate is pronounced "ESS-ti-vate" (hot weather dormancy)

Chelonian is pronounced "kell-OH-nee-un" ("chel-" is always pronounced kell-, keel-, or kull- in scientific nomenclature)

_Sphagnum_ is pronounced "SFAG-num" (a genus of northern moss)

_Psammobates_ is pronounced "SAM-oh-bate-eez" (a genus of South African tortoise)


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## abclements (Jul 19, 2013)

This post is turning into a monster!! I'm realizing it's not just sulcata that I can't say! Thanks everyone for your input! With all of this awesome "how do you say it" info, maybe this should get stickied up top? Just a thought, it could really help some newbies self educate!


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2013)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> It's amazing how often the word "sulcata" gets botched. A few Craigslist ads reposted here even spelled the word "sucada," no doubt because that's how some people hear it.
> 
> Sulcata is pronounced "sull-CAH-tuh." It comes from the Latin _sulcus_, meaning furrow or crevice. It refers to the unique shape of this tortoise's marginal scutes, which curl up a bit, creating a spoon-like concavity on the top.



BTW - Come to think of it, that sulcata for sale on Craigslist was actually listed as a "secada." With that spelling, you'd think the tortoise would break out in song and start performing "Just Another Day" from 1992 (sorry, a little Jon Secada humor there).

Anyway, clearly the owner did not know the proper spelling or pronunciation for that species. Not really surprising, since this person didn't know much else about tortoises, either, as evidenced by the terrible shape his pet was in (unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence on CL).


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## Team Gomberg (Jul 19, 2013)

Thanks GeoTT. 

So far I am spot on...with those words at least lol

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2013)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> _Psammobates_ is pronounced "SAM-oh-bate-eez" (a genus of South African tortoise)



And actually, a minor correction on the stress or accent of this word:

_Psammobates_ is pronounced "sam-oh-BATE-eez"


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## abclements (Jul 19, 2013)

Looks like you put the emphAsis on the wrong syLLAble ;P


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## tortadise (Jul 19, 2013)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> GeoTerraTestudo said:
> 
> 
> > _Psammobates_ is pronounced "SAM-oh-bate-eez" (a genus of South African tortoise)
> ...




LOL. It gets somewhat tough trying to spell out the pronunciations. But definitely your examples are much better than mine. I love seeing people see this genus and try to pronounce it in person.

Another good one is;
indotestudo travancorica That one stumbles people too.
and some of the galapagos too like

chathamensis (The San Cristobol islalnd most say "chue" instead of Kah thuh Men Cyst but cyst without the T.

Oh latin how you are so great. I love it. I stumble all the time on some of the snake ones for sure.


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## the567spud (Jul 19, 2013)

I do not understand this.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 19, 2013)

tortadise said:


> Another good one is;
> indotestudo travancorica That one stumbles people too.



Ah yes, the Southeast Asian forest tortoises. _Indotestudo travancorica_ is pronounced "In-doh-tes-TOO-doh trav-an-COR-i-ca."



tortadise said:


> and some of the galapagos too like
> 
> chathamensis (The San Cristobol islalnd most say "chue" instead of Kah thuh Men Cyst but cyst without the T.



In Latin, _chathamensis_ means "from Chatham" (Chatham Island is also known as San Cristobol Island). That would be pronounced like this: "Cha-tham-en-sis." The ch- is actually pronounced as a "ch," because it's based on the name Chatham, which is from English, not Greek (the suffix -ensis means "from"). However, the full scientific name of the San Cristobol Island Galapagos tortoise is _Chelonoidis chathamensis_. The genus _Chelonoidis_ is pronounced "Keel-on-OY-dis" (_Chelon_ is Greek for turtle).






the567spud said:


> I do not understand this.



What don't you understand?


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

Loving this thread!!! Any suggestions on how to pronounce "boettgeri"? As in Testudo hermanni boettgeri?


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## wellington (Jul 20, 2013)

When I try to pronounce any of those Latin words, I stumble over my tongue, so you don't have a clue if I said it right or not, usually, okay always not . I just heard cloaca pronounced. They said it like (clow a ka). I always say (clow ka) then I usually say (something) like that


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

abclements said:


> Looks like you put the emphAsis on the wrong syLLAble ;P



Hahahahaa!!!


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 20, 2013)

Moozilion said:


> Loving this thread!!! Any suggestions on how to pronounce "boettgeri"? As in Testudo hermanni boettgeri?



The word "_Testudo_" is Latin for "tortoise," and literally means "shelled animal." When Carl Linnaeus first invented scientific nomenclature, he placed all tortoises in that genus. Since then, of course, only the Mediterranean group retains that taxonomy. The word "_hermanni_" is Latin for "belonging to Hermann." This refers to 18th Century physician and naturalist Johann Hermann.

The word "_boettgeri_" is Latin for "belonging to BÃ¶ttger." Dr. Oskar BÃ¶ttger was a German zoologist and herpetologist who lived from 1844-1910. Many amphibians and reptiles were scientifically named in his honor, so that's a good pronunciation to know. In German, the letter "Ã¶" (known as "oh-umlaut") is pronounced like an "o," except with the lips protruding a bit more. It's difficult for non-German speakers to make this sound, but it sounds a little like the English soft double-oh ("oo"), as heard in book and look. Thus, the name BÃ¶ttger is pronounced "BOOT-ger" (sounds a bit too much like "booger," if you ask me!). Therefore, the scientific name _Testudo hermanni boettgeri_ is pronounced like this:

*"Test-OO-doh HERR-mun-eye BOOT-ger-eye."*

BTW - The popular dwarf African clawed frog was also named in BÃ¶ttger's honor. Its scientific name is _Hymenochirus boettgeri_, which is pronounced like this:

*"High-men-oh-KY-russ BOOT-ger-eye."*



wellington said:


> When I try to pronounce any of those Latin words, I stumble over my tongue, so you don't have a clue if I said it right or not, usually, okay always not . I just heard cloaca pronounced. They said it like (clow a ka). I always say (clow ka) then I usually say (something) like that



Cloaca is Latin for sewer, and is pronounced like this:

*"cloh-AY-cah."*


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

Thanks!!!


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## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 20, 2013)

Try "colubrid"


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 20, 2013)

StudentoftheReptile said:


> Try "colubrid"



Colubridae is the largest family of snakes, and is pronounced:
*"Kull-OO-brid-eye."*

"Colubrid," meaning "member of Colubridae" is pronounced:
*"Kull-OO-brid."*


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

Hey, GeoTerraTestudo- do you know the meaning of Latin bird names too, or just reptiles?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 20, 2013)

Moozilion said:


> Hey, GeoTerraTestudo- do you know the meaning of Latin bird names too, or just reptiles?



As a biologist, I have come to understand some Latin and Greek, despite never having studied them formally as foreign languages. Knowing Romance languages like Spanish and French also helps in figuring out Latin, which of course gave rise to them.

All of that is to say, throw out any scientific name you like, and I'll take a crack at it.


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## Momof4 (Jul 20, 2013)

Love this thread!!! I have not heard many of these words in person either but I think I have done a pretty good job pronouncing most of them! You learn something new everyday!


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

I know that the Mourning Dove is Zenaida macroura, and Ruby Throated Humming Birds are Archilocus colubris, but neither is in my "Latin Names Explained." Nor can I find translations on the Internet. Whatcha think?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 20, 2013)

Moozilion said:


> I know that the Mourning Dove is Zenaida macroura, and Ruby Throated Humming Birds are Archilocus colubris, but neither is in my "Latin Names Explained." Nor can I find translations on the Internet. Whatcha think?



*1) For mourning dove (Zenaida macroura):*

_Zenaida_ - Refers to Princess ZÃ©naÃ¯de Laetitia Julie Bonaparte (related to Napoleon Bonaparte). The Iberian name Zenaida itself means "of Zeus (King of the Greek gods)," i.e. royal.

_macroura_ - From the Greek "_macro_" (long) and "_ura_" (tail). Thus, _macroura_ means "long tail."

So, _Zenaida macroura_ means "Princess Zenaida's long-tailed dove." The pronunciation is "Zen-EYE-duh mack-roh-YER-uh."

*2) For Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris):*

_Archilochus_ - From the Greek "_archi_," meaning ancient and chief, and "_lochus_," meaning ambush and platoon. Thus, I think _Archilochus_ here means "Master warrior" (and indeed, hummingbirds do fight fiercely with each other).

_colubris_ - From the Latin "_coluber_," meaning snake (see above post about the snake family Colubridae). So, in this context, I think _colubris_ means "glistening like a snake" (although I suppose it could refer to the long, snake-like tongue).

So, I think _Archilochus colubris_ means "Master warrior that glistens like a snake" (or "Master warrior with a long, snake-like tongue"). The pronunciation is "Ark-i-LOH-kuss kull-OO-briss."


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## Moozillion (Jul 20, 2013)

WOO HOO!! Thanks BUNCHES, Geo! I may go back and dig up some others!


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## Moozillion (Jul 21, 2013)

Ok- I knew I had at least 1 more. Carolina chickadee is Poecile carolinensis. The carolinensis is a no-brainer, but I can't find the meaning of Poecile. Thoughts?


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## StudentoftheReptile (Jul 21, 2013)

I actually took Latin in highschool, and I'll say it has come in handy in latter years understanding herp nomenclature.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 21, 2013)

Moozilion said:


> Ok- I knew I had at least 1 more. Carolina chickadee is Poecile carolinensis. The carolinensis is a no-brainer, but I can't find the meaning of Poecile. Thoughts?



_Poecile_ comes from the Greek _Poikilo_, meaning "variable, variegated," i.e. having different colors in irregular patches or streaks. The chickadee's appearance does fit that description. And, as you know, the Latin suffix -_ensis_ means "from" (modern Spanish retains the similar suffix -_ense_). So, _carolinensis_ means "from Carolina." Therefore, _Poecile carolinensis_ essentially means "Variegated bird from Carolina." Its pronunciation is "Pee-SILL-ee kerr-oh-linn-ENN-siss."

BTW - The chickadee's genus name is similar to _Poecilia_, which is the genus of fish that contains mollies and guppies. Its pronunciation is similar: "Pee-SILL-ee-uh."

PS - The term "poikilothermic ectotherm" refers to the "cold-blooded" metabolism of fish, amphibians, and reptiles, which is affected by the external temperature (_ecto_- and _therm_-), and therefore variable (_poikilo_-).






StudentoftheReptile said:


> I actually took Latin in highschool, and I'll say it has come in handy in latter years understanding herp nomenclature.



That's really cool. How many years did you study Latin? A friend of mine took it for several years in high school, too, and he got a lot out of it.


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## Moozillion (Jul 21, 2013)

StudentoftheReptile said:


> I actually took Latin in highschool, and I'll say it has come in handy in latter years understanding herp nomenclature.



Wish I'd taken Latin in either high school (don't think it was offered) or college!


OK, as long as you're game, GeoTT, I've got a few more.

Culex quinquefasciatus- I know Culex means mosquito, but can't figure out the other.
Aedes albopictus- I know Aedes means "house" or "temple," (not sure how that applies to mosquitoes!) but can't get the albopicuts part.
Aedes vexans- THAT I got!! Floodwater mosquitoes ARE vexing little buggers!
Photinus sp- I know this is lightening bugs, and the "phot-" part obviously applies to light, but that's as far as I get.
Tibicen canicularis- ("Dog-day Cicada") I'm pretty sure the Tibicen is flutist or piper, and canicularis obviously applies to the "dog days." Am I right?

BTW this is all because I'm trying to PUSH my brain to work harder on memorizing things: I'm 58 and my dad has dementia, so I'm trying to keep the old gray cells active! I choose all these critters because they are things I see or hear daily.

Thanks bunches- It's fun to find other "word nerds!"


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 21, 2013)

LOL ... yeah, I am a "word nerd." Okay, here we go. 



Moozilion said:


> Culex quinquefasciatus- I know Culex means mosquito, but can't figure out the other.



quinque = five
fasciatus = stripe
quinquefasciatus = five stripes



Moozilion said:


> Aedes albopictus- I know Aedes means "house" or "temple," (not sure how that applies to mosquitoes!) but can't get the albopicuts part.



albo = white
pictus = spot
albopictus = white spot



Moozilion said:


> Photinus sp- I know this is lightening bugs, and the "phot-" part obviously applies to light, but that's as far as I get.



Yes, _phot_- means "light," so I can only assume that -_inus_ means "producer of," but I'm not sure.



Moozilion said:


> Tibicen canicularis- ("Dog-day Cicada") I'm pretty sure the Tibicen is flutist or piper, and canicularis obviously applies to the "dog days." Am I right?



Yes, _Tibicen_ means "flute player." _Canicularis_ means "pertaining to the Dog Star." The dog days of summer are called that because that's the time of year when the Dog Star is in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere. The Dog Star, Sirius, is so called because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog).


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## Moozillion (Jul 21, 2013)

THANKS so much, GeoTT!! 

Now that I know you're The Latin Explanation Guy, I may track you down from time to time with more stuff!


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 21, 2013)

Moozilion said:


> THANKS so much, GeoTT!!
> 
> Now that I know you're The Latin Explanation Guy, I may track you down from time to time with more stuff!



Feel free. I'll do my best! 

BTW - I think the mosquito genus _Aedes_ (house, building, or temple) simply refers to how common these insects are - literally household pests. It's a bit like the words _domesticus_ and _familiaris_ for some domestic animals; I think here they all just mean "well-known."


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## Derrick (Jul 21, 2013)

Well I know exactly how you experience. I have no actual real life, turtle buddies so all the terms I know are from how I understand them on the community. I felt so dumb when, I frequented Mark in San diego and i was saying factors all incorrect.


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## Team Gomberg (Jul 21, 2013)

GeoTT what is the correct pronunciation for "pardalis"

I currently say it as, par- dallas

I've never heard anyone else audibly say this yet. 

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jul 22, 2013)

Team Gomberg said:


> GeoTT what is the correct pronunciation for "pardalis"
> 
> I currently say it as, par- dallas
> 
> ...



Yep, you got it right: "parr-DAL-uss"


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