The blue-footed booby probably has the oddest name in the animal kingdom. It is a bird native to the Galapagos Islands, and its Latin name is Sula nebouxii. The blue-footed booby derives its name from - you guessed it - its distinctively blue feet, which the male displays promiscuously during courtship (tourists wearing blue shoes have been known to attract horny female boobies).

The nesting practices of the blue-footed booby are quite bizarre: the male and female work hard to build a nest, which they then scrape off of the ground so the female can lay her eggs on the bare rock. The boobies then designate their nesting area by excreting a ring of guano around the eggs.

Blue-footed boobies are social birds; they congregate in flocks. Boobies are fish-eaters; they catch fish by dive-bombing at breakneck speeds into the water. They then (theoretically) catch the fish underwater and resurface 10 feet away from where they went under. Blue-footed boobies are popular with tourists for their amusing appearance, spectacular hunting behavior, and funny courtship practices.