Famous Organisms Named After Celebrities for Silly Reasons

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‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me’ go the words to a popular children’s mantra about verbal bullying. It may or may not be true, but naming creatures and places after people has become an honour, a way of marking a contribution of that celebrity in one way or another. Here is a list of ten of the most interesting creatures named in honour of a public figure

1. Aegrotocatellus jaggeri

Aegrotocatellus jaggeri
Aegrotocatellus jaggeri

Trilobites are one of the most fascinating prehistoric creatures, dating to a time even way before the dinosaurs ruled the earth. Named after a dinosaur of a different kind, this subspecies of Trilobite which was discovered in Canada in 1995 was named after Rolling Stones lead singer rocker Mick Jagger. There are so many different types and subtypes of the trilobite that it can sometimes be hard keeping up with them all. Keith Richards also had a Trilobite named in his honour

2. Agra katewinsletae

Agra katewinsletae
Agra katewinsletae

Kate Winslet seems an unlikely celebrity to have a beetle named in her honour but she is the named proud celebrity nonetheless after the creature was discovered in 2002. The Titanic actress has little in common with the beetle which lives in tropical rainforests, but the discoverer explained his thinking ‘Her character did not go down with the ship, but we will not be able to say the same for this elegant canopy species, if all the rain forest is converted to pastures.’

3. Calponia harrisonfordi

Calponia harrisonfordi
Calponia harrisonfordi

A North American spider species discovered in 1993 was found to have a number of curious features that might have scientists considering it ‘primitive’ compared to most other spiders. It is found only in California and a new group was created in order to classify it. It was named in honour of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford as a thank you after the actor narrated a documentary on behalf of the Natural History Museum in London. The actor also has a spider named after him

4. Crichtonsaurus

Crichtonsaurus
Crichtonsaurus

Few writers have made an impact on the public imagination where dinosaurs are concerned but Michael Crichton ‘ author of Jurassic Park ‘ is one whose vision has passed into the public awareness thanks to his books and the film adaptations that followed. The Chrichtonsaurus was discovered in China; it was an Ankylosauridae that lived in the Cretaceous period and was a short, stocky armoured creature which makes it similar so certain modern giant turtles. Another similar creature was named in honour of Birger Bohlin.

5. Dawkinsia

Dawkinsia
Dawkinsia

The public face of evolutionary science in the modern era, and a name that usually gets religious’ backs up because of his outspoken views, is perhaps one of the most apt naming honours in this list. A group of cyprinid fish were once generally classified as Puntius but further studies discovered that some species lumped under a single label were actually different species. A massive renaming convention began and one was chosen to pay homage to Richard Dawkins for his outstanding contribution to public awareness of science

6. Hyloscirtus princecharlesi

Hyloscirtus princecharlesi
Hyloscirtus princecharlesi

Prince Charles is arguably the world leader or prospective world leader who is most dedicated to the environment. During the February UK floods of the Somerset Levels, he was the only public figure to visit the area to see the destruction for himself. He has been celebrated for his ecological work for many years and in 2012, a newly discovered rain forest Tree Frog was named in his honour as a mark of respect for his outspoken views and public concern for environmental issues

7. Kootenichela deppi

Kootenichela deppi
Kootenichela deppi

Johnny Depp seems to be another unusual choice of creatures to be named in their honour but in this case there is some amusing thinking behind it. The extinct Cambrian arthropod, looking rather like a lobster, has some unusual pincers. The scientist who discovered it thought that the pincers looked like the appendages that Depp wore in his film Edward Scissorhands. It is primitive compared to many other arthropods of the same period and may have been an ancestor species of the ‘Great Appendage’ arthropods

8. Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei

Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei
Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei

A science fiction writer you would think might be a good figure which to name a new dinosaur after, but unlike Michael Crichton above, the invention and physicist Arthur C. Clarke might be an unusual choice. Discovered in Australia and dating to the Cretaceous period, there is so little to go on that there is some debate over whether it is indeed a separate species. Its location is also anomalous having been found far away from everything else within the group. It was named after Clarke because the discoverer was a personal friend of the writer

9. Trypanosoma irwini

Trypanosoma irwini
Trypanosoma irwini

Steve Irwin ‘Crocodile Hunter’ died in 2006 when stung by a stingray while filming his latest series. He has the honour of having the smallest organism on this list named after him ‘ and it is a parasite, native to Australia, that infects the blood of Koalas. It is not the only Trypanosoma in existence but it is different enough to have been classified separately. On its own it does not create problems in a host but when coupled with other conditions could prove deadly. It was named in 2009, three years after Irwin’s death.

10. Zaglossus attenboroughi

 Zaglossus attenboroughi
Zaglossus attenboroughi

The common name of this creature is ‘Sir David’s long-beaked echidna’. This Papua New Guinea Echidna is named after modern naturalist Sit David Attenborough for his global work on conservation awareness and knowledge and contribution to public education. It is the smallest Echidna presently known but it has an unusually long snout ‘ looking rather like an elephant’s. They are shy creatures and as no specimens have been collected since the 1960s so there are concerns that the creature is on the verge of extinction

Conclusion

Whatever the reason for naming certain creatures in honour of celebrities ‘ whether that is for their public work, as a favour, in honour of a friend or simply because of their physical appearance, the trend of naming animals and plants in honour of public figures will continue so long as there are new species to find

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