The rule in science is that if you discover a new species of animal, you get to give it a two-word Latin name using some hard-and-fast conventions in the area of biological taxonomy. First comes the genus (which is always capitalized) followed by the species. Both are required to be italicized. Latin is used for this because it’s a dead language and thus suited as a neutral way of naming things.
These rules can be tracked to a Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist who took over from the biblical Adam to name all the creatures of the earth, everything from viruses to whales.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6078337/alan-cross-naming-musicians-asteroid-animal/