Asperitas Clouds Sunset

Name that cloud

Cloudgazers seeking familiar shapes might have a tough time with these altocumulus clouds over Australia: They have characteristics of both stratiformis (streaky or wavy) and floccus (woolly or tufted) clouds. If all that Latin has you suspecting something science-y going on here, you'd be right: Just like flora and fauna, clouds can be taxonomized by genus and species. The altocumulus genus has five distinctly shaped species—castellanus, floccus, lenticularis, stratiformis, and volutus—appearing at a wide range of elevations from 6,500 to 20,000 feet.