Triple Tautonyms

Gotta classify ’em all!

At least 28 animals have zoological names with three identical words, making them triple tautonyms.

You can print a PDF file of all the cards featured below & use that deck with Top Trumps rules.

Alces alces alces

The European elk is growing in population & territory across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

more info
Attack
5
Defence
8
Agility
3
Cuteness
2

Bison bison bison

The Plains bison neared extinction in the 1880s but has since been reintroduced across the U.S.

more info
Attack
5
Defence
7
Agility
2
Cuteness
2

Bubo bubo bubo

The European eagle-owl is the darkest & most richly coloured of the eagle-owl subspecies.

more info
Attack
4
Defence
4
Agility
8
Cuteness
6

Bufo bufo bufo

The common toad secretes bufotoxin when threatened, which has similar effects to digitalis.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
7
Agility
1
Cuteness
3

Buteo buteo buteo

The common buzzard hunts from a perch & feeds mostly on small mammals such as voles.

more info
Attack
5
Defence
4
Agility
9
Cuteness
3

Capreolus capreolus capreolus

The roe deer is small & well-adapted to cold conditions across Europe & parts of Asia.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
3
Agility
7
Cuteness
4

Caracal caracal caracal

The southern caracal is a medium-sized wild cat found in Southern and East Africa.

more info
Attack
7
Defence
6
Agility
6
Cuteness
5

Caretta caretta caretta

The Atlantic loggerhead turtle is an endangered species with a lifespan of 47-67 years.

more info
Attack
3
Defence
7
Agility
2
Cuteness
6

Crossoptilon crossoptilon crossoptilon

The Szechuan white eared pheasant inhabits rocky high-altitude areas in Szechuan, China.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
2
Agility
7
Cuteness
5

Francolinus francolinus francolinus

The western black francolin is a gamebird found in the region from Cyprus to Iraq & Iran.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
2
Agility
6
Cuteness
3

Gallus gallus gallus

The Cochin-Chinese red junglefowl is similar to the domestic chicken, but smaller & shyer.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
1
Agility
5
Cuteness
4

Giraffa giraffa giraffa

The South African giraffe has a population of around 31,500 in the wild plus 45 in zoos.

more info
Attack
3
Defence
6
Agility
4
Cuteness
6

Gorilla gorilla gorilla

The western lowland gorilla is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla.

more info
Attack
9
Defence
8
Agility
4
Cuteness
8

Jacana jacana jacana

The wattled jacana is a wading bird that feeds on invertebrates & seeds picked from water.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
1
Agility
5
Cuteness
6

Lagopus lagopus lagopus

The willow ptarmigan’s lagopus subspecies is found in Scandinavia, Finland & Russia.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
2
Agility
5
Cuteness
7

Lutra lutra lutra

The Eurasian otter mainly eats fish, but also amphibians, crustaceans, insects & birds.

more info
Attack
4
Defence
4
Agility
5
Cuteness
9

Lynx lynx lynx

The northern lynx preys on a variety of animals, but is hunted by wolves in Russian forests.

more info
Attack
8
Defence
6
Agility
6
Cuteness
6

Meles meles meles

The common badger can weigh 20–24kg in autumn & lives in shared burrows called setts.

more info
Attack
4
Defence
5
Agility
2
Cuteness
8

Mephitis mephitis mephitis

The Canada striped skunk is a large subspecies found across eastern Canada.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
8
Agility
3
Cuteness
7

Naja naja naja

The Indian cobra was often a heraldic element in the official symbols of ancient Indian states.

more info
Attack
8
Defence
9
Agility
3
Cuteness
1

Natrix natrix natrix

The central European grass snake is non-venomous & feeds almost entirely on amphibians.

more info
Attack
3
Defence
3
Agility
2
Cuteness
2

Pica pica pica

The common magpie is the only bird known to pass the “mirror test”, a sign of intelligence.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
2
Agility
7
Cuteness
4

Quelea quelea quelea

The red-billed quelea is a sparrow-like migratory bird native to west & central Africa.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
1
Agility
8
Cuteness
7

Rattus rattus rattus

The black rat is revered at Karni Mata Temple in India, where 25,000 of them receive offerings.

more info
Attack
3
Defence
2
Agility
5
Cuteness
8

Redunca redunca redunca

The bohor reedbuck prefers grasses & shoots with low-fibre & high-protein content.

more info
Attack
1
Defence
4
Agility
7
Cuteness
6

Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra

The Alpine chamois is a small goat-antelope that sometimes forages during moonlit nights.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
3
Agility
5
Cuteness
7

Sula sula sula

The Caribbean and southwest Atlantic islands red-footed booby is a large seabird.

more info
Attack
2
Defence
3
Agility
7
Cuteness
4

Vulpes vulpes vulpes

The Scandinavian red fox is a large subspecies, measuring 70-90cm long & weighing 5-10kg.

more info
Attack
7
Defence
5
Agility
6
Cuteness
9

Scores were based on the animals’ attributes but also tweaked to work as a game, so don’t hate us for giving your fave some iffy numbers.