Harrison Ford’s name is used to name new species of Peruvian snakes discovered… after species of spiders and ants were named in his honor
Harrison Ford’s name was used for a species of snake recently discovered in the Peruvian Andes.
The Chicago-born actor, 81, inspired the name of the snake – the Tachymenoides harrisonfordi – which is a pale yellowish brown, measuring 16 inches long.
“These scientists keep naming creatures after me, but they’re always the ones that terrify kids…I don’t get it,” Ford, a longtime advocate for environmental causes, said in a statement to International custody.
The Hollywood icon joked, “I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants so they don’t fear the night.
The Oscar-nominated actor, famous for playing Indiana Jones and Han Solo in the Star Wars films, said he was touched by the gesture.
The latest: Harrison Ford’s name has been used for a species of snake recently discovered in the Peruvian Andes. The actor, 81, was pictured in London in June
Ford’s name was previously named for the ant species Pheidole harrisonfordi; and the California spider Calponia harrisonfordi.
Ford noted the importance of the discovery of new species in the “wild world” and related research.
“On this planet, all fates are intertwined, and right now a million species are on the brink of oblivion,” Ford said. “We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that support life.”
Ford, who reprized the role of Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate this summer, said that unlike his famous adventurer persona, he’s a fan of snakes.
“The snake has eyes you can drown in, and it spends most of the day sunbathing by a pool of dirty water – we probably would have been friends in the early 60s,” said the actor.
In a statement on the newly discovered species, Conservation International described the series of events that led to the newly discovered species.
“High in the Andes, a team of researchers traverses an alpine marsh,” said Conservation International. “Sifting through tall grass, they look for something priceless at the edge of a plateau.
“Each step brings the team closer to a snake, coiled in the reeds. Its scales are threaded with copper; he gazes through amber eyes.
Ford inspired the name of the snake – the Tachymenoides harrisonfordi – which is a pale yellowish brown, measuring 16 inches long
Ford, who reprized the role of Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate this summer, said that unlike his famous adventurer persona, he’s a fan of snakes. Seen with Karen Allen in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981
The organization continued, “If this is starting to look like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, hang on to your fedora, because that snake’s name is Harrison Ford.” Or at least it is now.
The snake’s real name is Tachymenoides harrisonfordi, and that’s all new to science.
The nonprofit said it honors Ford’s “decades-long environmental advocacy, which includes his role as vice president of Conservation International.”
Ford spoke about climate change at TIME magazine in October 2020, saying “the climate crisis is real” and that “the weight of scientific evidence is overwhelming, but the evidence can be ignored”.
The Air Force One star said “leaders who choose to make climate change a divisive issue do so to protect entrenched economic interests who profit from behavior that destroys our planet.”
‘It’s selfish. It’s short-sighted. It’s gotta stop… this shit is gonna kill us.
