"Opossum" is not derived from Latin, but from Algonquian, and so, the proper plural is "opossums."
And, the proper plural for "specimen" is "specimina."
The proper plural of "species" is "speciei."
The proper plural of "Triceratops" is "Triceratopes."
The proper singular of
"thrips" is "thrips."
Why did we drop the final "-a" from the Latin word "vipera?"
And, why do we pronounce the letter "i" in Latin words like "aye," when the actual pronunciation is like "ee?"
Venom is produced in a gland, injected actively into a target, and acts by attacking tissues; while
poison is sequestered in tissues, passively ingested by the target, and acts by causing illness or impalatability. There are no poisonous spiders or poisonous snakes: there are, however, many venomous spiders and venomous snakes.
The letter "j" in Chinese is pronounced like the letter "j" in English, not like in the French word "deja vu." So, the capitol is "Bei-jing," not "Bei-zhing." This one drives me particularly crazy because there is hardly precedent for the idiot colloquial pronunciation by English speakers of the Chinese capitol city.
Do you still think you can win the award, Kaichos Man?
-Bluejay (a.k.a. Mantis, Thylacosmilus)
Darwin loves you.