13 Animals With Celebrity Names You Never Knew Existed
Every year, scientists discover thousands of new animal species. This means there will always be a few you've never heard of. It also means that researchers have to get names for these new rare species from somewhere. It is not surprising that scientists often find inspiration in the world of show business.
What's surprising is that there are often very real similarities between animals and the celebrities they're named after, both in appearance and behavior.
Parafimbrios lao, a rainbow snake from Laos, also known as Ziggy Stardust Snake, and David Bowie in his famous Ziggy Stardust image. This rainbow-striped colubrid snake is just one of 163 new animal and plant species discovered in 2016 in the Mekong Delta on the Indochina Peninsula.
Tylototriton anguliceps, or Klingon newt, discovered in Thailand, with its appearance reminded scientists of members of an alien civilization of humanoid warriors from the famous movie saga “Star Trek”.
There are several species named after the former US president, but this colorful reef fish, native to Barack's native Hawaii, is the newest, discovered in June 2016. She received her name not only as a tribute to the birthplace of the former president. It is the only fish that lives exclusively within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a sanctuary spanning the Western Hawaiian Islands and surrounding waters that President Obama expanded in August 2016.
The former US president was honored with an animal named after him. This new species of moth was discovered while studying the specimen collection of the Bogart Museum of Entomology, and got its name, as you might guess, from its “hairstyle.” Ironically, Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is on the verge of extinction in Southern California, where Trump himself is greatly disliked.
This tiny wasp, just 4-9 millimeters long, was discovered in the Eastern Andes of Ecuador and named after Colombian singer Shakira. “What do they have in common?” - you ask. The fact is that Aleiodes shakirae is a parasitic wasp. She lays her eggs in the body of the caterpillar, which subsequently dies. During this natural thriller, the caterpillar shakes and wags its hips, which reminded scientists of Shakira's signature dance moves.
May the force be with this rare beetle, named after the main villain of the Star Wars movie saga. He lives in North Carolina and, with his shiny shell and big eyes, inexplicably resembles Luke's father. And as protection, the villain Agathidium vaderi curls up into a ball.
The tiny crustacean was discovered on coral reefs in Indonesia and the Philippines. Its discoverer explains the origin of the original name: “I named this species after Sir Elton John because I listened to his music in the laboratory throughout my scientific career. And when I saw this unusual crustacean with greatly enlarged limbs through a microscope, I immediately remembered Elton John’s huge boots from the Pinball Wizard video.”
This cute little spider was found in India. The scientists who discovered the unknown arachnid were big fans of Harry Potter and could not help but notice the resemblance to the famous Hat. The spider instantly became an Internet star, and even JK Rowling herself approved of its name.
It makes sense that the famous creator of the Playboy bunnie empire would have a bunny named after him. Hefner's namesake is a species of swamp rabbit native to the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, the animal is on the verge of extinction due to the urbanization of the islands, attacks by street cats and collisions with vehicles and could completely disappear within 10 years.
The idea to name the horsefly after Beyoncé came from researcher Brian Lessard. According to the scientist, he decided to give the insect an unusual name when he saw golden hairs on the horsefly’s thick abdomen - this feature caused him to associate it with the singer. Lessard noted that these hairs make the horsefly a real diva among its own kind.
A spiny spider crab discovered in South Florida was named after actor Tobey Maguire, who starred in the Spider-Man trilogy. The crab's meat is said to be delicious, but it uses its "spider sense" to avoid industrial capture.
The Zanzibar-born leader of Queen is perhaps the archipelago's biggest celebrity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the sea cockroach discovered there was named after him. Like most isopods, the Mercury cockroach has seven pairs of limbs and can quite possibly perform dance moves that the late Freddy would appreciate.
Now an exemplary mother and philanthropist, in her turbulent youth Angelina was famous for her love of everything creepy. However, this was not the reason that Jason Bond decided to name the poisonous arachnid in her honor. According to the scientist, he was inspired by Angelina's work as a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.