Question

[prairiepanda]

This is the only place I use common names, and that's just because most of the users here use common names. I prefer scientific names for the sake of precision, but in the case of snakes, especially in a mostly american-dominated forum, I don't mind as much because there usually isn't much overlap with common names for snakes, and there aren't any species in the pet trade that I can think of which don't have common names.

I'm more concerned about using scientific names with things like spiders, because a lot of issues arise with using common names. For example, some species do not have any common name, like Pelegrina aeneola which cannot be distinguished from any other jumping spider without the use of the scientific name. There are also common names which describe multiple species, such as "zebra leg tarantula" which could refer to Grammastola pulchripes. Eupalaestrus campestratus, Ephebopus murinus, or several other species, which have very different care requirements and temperaments and should never be mixed up by beginners in the hobby.

But snakes? There's no question of what a ball python is. It's annoying when people say things like "rat snake" or "boa" and do not specify what kind, but when it is specified it is usually an accurate description. Russian rat snake only ever refers to Elaphe schrenckii and Texas rat snake only ever refers to Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri. It's not as muddy an issue as it is with other animals.