Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is the name of a newly discovered species of snake. And yes, harrisonfordi is familiar because they named this new to us snake after the man behind Indiana Jones. There are two reasons for this. One is that Harrison Ford has spent about 40 years advocating and helping protect nature and the environment. He’s even the chairman of Conservation International. The other reason is because Indy hates snakes. It’s a running bit throughout the Indiana Jones movies. Harrison was happy to have the honor. He’s also had an ant and spider species named after him which he pointed out by jokingly saying, “These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children. I don’t understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won’t fear the night.”
A team of researchers trekking through an alpine swamp in the high in the Andes Mountains spot ambers eyes peering out of the rushes…
The eyes belonged a snaked that is named Harrison Ford. Or at least it is now. pic.twitter.com/lzGCw3tEqV
— Conservation Intl (@ConservationOrg) August 15, 2023