Vote now: Which high school has the best mascot in America? (Animals Bracket)

We want to hear from you: Which is the best of the best and the wackiest of the wacky?

Over the next month we'll be featuring some of the best nicknames in high school sports, with an end goal of determining the fans' favorite.

We've built 12 brackets of 15 teams each, and we'll roll out three brackets a week.

We recently released the Animals Bracket, featuring 15 outstanding high school sports nicknames with a fauna theme. Descriptions of each are below the poll.

Best high school mascots in America: 15 most unique animal-themed nicknames

Now, we want to hear from you: Which is the best nickname in the bracket?

Vote in the poll to pick your favorite, and the winner will advance to the Dandy Dozen Championship Bracket.

Animals Bracket voting will conclude Thursday, Sept. 22, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

(Apopka Blue Darters photo by Matthew Christopher)

Punxsutawney Chucks (Pennsylvania)

Choosing to steer clear of the obvious Punxsutawney Phils, Punxsutawney High School went with the Chucks, which is short for woodchucks, which is another name for groundhogs. Maybe Bill Murray wakes up every morning at the same time listening to "I Got You Babe" and thinking about the Punxsutawney Chucks.

Zeeland East Chix (Michigan)

The town of Zeeland was once known for its chick hatcheries. The Zeeland East Chix celebrate that history, and the Chix crosstown rivals are the Dux of Zeeland West.

San Saba Armadillos (Texas)

This seems like such a gimme in Texas, like all the fish nicknames in Florida, but San Saba is the only high school in the state — and the country — called the Armadillos.

Fort Collins Lambkins (Colorado)

Before 1917, Fort Collins was known by a variety of nicknames, including “beet diggers.” According to its website, “in 1917 the mascot ‘Lambkins’ was born. At that time, Fort Collins was the hub in a region known for producing sheep and wool. So, ‘Lambkins’ seemed like an apropos nickname. In 1981, a fierce-looking lamb named Clyde was commissioned to be used primarily by athletic teams. Clyde, however, never replaced the prancing lamb and the school today uses both mascots.”

Clarkston Angoras (Georgia)

From the city of Clarkston’s history page: “It was said that, in the early 1900s, many Clarkstonians owned up to twenty goats! They supposedly were associated with a high level of prestige. These goats were believed to be the renowned Angoras variety, and they needed to graze out in the open.” Clarkston's sports teams are also of the renowned Angoras variety.

Chester Hambletonians (New York)

A hambletonian is a strain of American trotting horses, so if you’re more of a trotter than a runner, Chester High School spirit gear might be for you.

Apopka Blue Darters (Florida)

From a 2001 Orlando Sentinel article: “A Blue Darter is a small, agile raptor about the size of a crow, sometimes known as a Cooper's hawk, and it is the perfect symbol for our football team and school. Unlike larger raptors that spiral lazily in the sky, the Blue Darter flies low and swiftly through woods, rarely seen. It prefers understated displays of power and will pounce on unsuspecting prey before they know what hit them.” Whoa.

Arkansas School for the Deaf Leopards (Arkansas)

There are lots of Leopards in high school sports, but no campus makes it work nearly as well as the Arkansas School for the Deaf. But according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the school's teams have been called the Leopards since at least 1941, about 40 years before Def Leppard's debut album. Pour some sugar on me anyway.

Maui Prep Pueo (Hawaii)

The Pueo is a short-eared owl native to the Hawaiian islands. Maui lore alleges the existence of Pueo-nui-akea, an owl that provides wandering souls with direction.

Anaconda Copperheads (Montana)

The Anaconda Anacondas seems so obvious, so why not the Copperheads?

Omaha Benson Mighty Bunnies (Nebraska)

You’re probably thinking the same thing we are: Isn’t “Mighty” implied when discussing Bunnies?

Algonac Muskrats (Michigan)

A muskrat isn’t that different from a beaver, so why is this the only school in the country to be the Muskrats? Cheers to Algonac for showing so much “Muskrat Love.”

Archbishop Chapelle Chipmunks (Louisiana)

Mascot suggestions in a 1964 contest included Raiderettes, Fleur de lis, Shamrocks and Chapelle's Belles, but Chipmunks was the easy winner thanks to their "alert, inquisitive, sociable and communicative" nature.

Fordyce Redbugs (Arkansas)

Workers clearing the land to build a new football field in the 1920s were tormented by chiggers, aka redbugs. The name stuck for a football program rich in history (future Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant played there).

Hutto Hippos (Texas)

Local legend traces the origins of the Hutto hippo to 1915, when a circus train carrying animals stopped to fill up with water. The hippo escaped, walked to Cottonwood Creek and stayed there so long that it delayed the train until its handlers were able to get it out.