Happy week of Taxonomist Appreciation Day! Years ago, California State University Dominguez Hills’s  Associate Professor of Biology Terry McGlynn minted the day to call attention to the extraordinary and often-overlooked services taxonomists provide to all of us. Buzz Hoot Roar honors our systematists and taxonomists with a pun competition. This year, we had dozens of top rate punsters and some of our all-time favorite puns. We were tickled pink to have the great artists James Hutson and Christine Nishiyama, as well as our own artsy Sarah Blackmon Lips judge the puns (learn more about them below).

Without further ado, here’s our first winner. Pun illustrated by Roar.

Way to go, @LinguoMalkavian!

Our judges:

James Hutson (@jameshutson) is a visual science communications specialist who explains all manner of things with award-winning, animated and narrated explainer videos, illustrations and infographics (jameshutson.net).

Christine Nishiyama (@might_could) is an illustrator and writer working out of Atlanta. She lends her approachable, charming style to picture books, graphic novels, and comics. She also writes essays and teaches courses to help other creatives tell their own stories, and encourage everyone to make more art (mightcouldstudios.com).

Hoot, graphic designer (@sarahblackmonlips)

Stay tuned for another winner each day this week!