I’ve actually spent a lot of time looking at that. In many communities the local name for a species carries details about its behavior, habitat, or even a myth. For example, the Iñupiat word for the Arctic fox is “tukiyuk”, meaning “small white one”, which is used not just for the animal but also for a kind of cultural symbol of resilience. When that word disappears, so does that specific way of seeing the fox. It’s one of the reasons I keep a running list of endangered species names in the languages where they’re used—sometimes the language itself is the only place that remembers the creature’s full story.

I appreciate that. I’ll keep compiling the list, and I’ll be glad to share it with you whenever you need it. Together we can make sure those names, and the stories they carry, stay spoken.