Evidence of our intimate relationship with other animals bombards us during everyday conversation. We say that so-and-so is a busy bee, an eager beaver, a cunning serpent, or a greedy pig. One can be mean as a rattlesnake, happy as a clam, or slippery as an eel. We drink like fish, become sick as dogs, and play cat and mouse. We weep crocodile tears, share bear hugs, fish for compliments, wolf down dinner, and parrot what we hear. Some of us are loan sharks, militant hawks, or peaceful doves. Bull and bear markets on Wall Street determine our financial futures, and elephants and donkeys lead us in Washington.

We drive Beetles, Stingrays, Impalas, Mustangs, Jaguars, and Cobras. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Bears, and Miami Dolphins entertain us. We see animals in constellations: Hydra, the water snake; Lacerta, the lizard;
Canis major and minor, the dogs; and Ursa major and minor, the bears. Some colleges and universities boast powerful animals as mascots: wolves, cougars, and tigers. Others have chosen the burrowing owl, horned frog (actually a horned lizard), boll weevil,
and banana slug. Charlie the Tuna, the Geico Gecko, the Budweiser Frogs, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, and the Energizer Bunny entice us to buy their affiliated products.

We name animals based on their association with or similarity to other animals: rhinoceros beetle, horsefly, crab spider, catfish, parrotfish, tiger salamander, bullfrog, rat snake, zebra finch, kangaroo rat, and mule deer. We give plants animal names: spider plant, toadflax, snakeroot, buffalo grass, lizard tail, cattail, and horsetail. And we name towns and topographic features for animals: Scorpion Blight, Australia; Mosquito Cays, Nicaragua; Trout Run, Pennsylvania; Frog Call Creek, Georgia; Toad Suck, Arkansas; Lizard Canyon, California; Alligator Alley, Florida; Rattlesnake Hills, Wyoming; Moose Town, Montana; Pig Eye, Alabama; Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado; Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky...