A new species of snake found in Peru has been named after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Harrison Ford.
Snakes, why’d it have to be snakes? Although Indiana Jones is famously petrified of the reptiles, a new species of snake has been named after Harrison Ford. According to a report published in the scientific journal Salamandra, the newly discovered species of slender snake was found in Peru’s Andes Mountains last spring. The species has been dubbed Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.
“These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children,” Harrison Ford said in a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly. “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.“
Harrison Ford continued, “In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling. It’s a reminder that there’s still so much to learn about our wild world — and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere. On this planet, all fates are intertwined, and right now, one million species are teetering on the edge of oblivion. We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life.” Tachymenoides harrisonfordi measures 16 inches in length and is pale yellowish-brown with scattered black flecks, a black stomach, and black stripes.
As Harrison Ford mentioned, this new snake isn’t the only critter named in the actor’s honour. There’s also an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) and a spider (alponia harrisonfordi) which share his name. Neil Cox, manager of the Conservation International-IUCN Biodiversity Assessment Unit, said: “Too often, reptile conservation can be overlooked. Most people likely don’t find snakes as cute as a fluffy panda cub, but their role in the world’s ecosystems is just as important. This discovery helps us better understand how snake species exist and survive in the world, and I hope that its fun name will help draw attention to the threat of extinction facing reptiles globally.”
Harrison Ford was most recently seen in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The sequel also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther), Thomas Kretschmann (Das Boot), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), Olivier Richters (Black Widow), Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange) and newcomer Ethann Isidore. The film will be released on digital retailers on August 29th.