HARRISON FORD GIVE HIS NAME

TO AN AMAZONIAN SNAKE

Laments the adventurer […] I hate snakes. »

In a nod to the hero of a famous saga, scientists have just named a whole new species of snake after Harrison Ford.Harrison

Every day, the 'Harrison Ford' snake makes its life in Otishi National Park, Peru.

A new species discovered at an altitude of more than 3,000 m bears. Unknown to any experts on this species, the "Harrison Ford" snake was discovered in May 2022 during an expedition led by German-American biologist Edgar Lehr, in the mountain pastures of Otishi National Park at an altitude over 3200m.

The area where this snake was discovered is only accessible by helicopter. A male was spotted basking in a swamp in Otishi National Park last May. It stands out from its congeners by its singular camouflage, sporting yellow to ocher colors, with black spots which make it difficult to spot on the ground. According to the BBC, Tachymenoides harrisonfordi poses no danger to humans. It feeds mainly on frogs and lizards.

“Scientists keep naming bugs after me”

But why did scientists want to name this snake Harrison Ford ?

The actor, himself, claims to "not understand" this practice, he who has already given his name to a Calponia harrisonfordi spider and to a Pheidole harrisonfordi ant.

"Scientists keep naming bugs my name, but they're always the ones that scare kids," he tweeted.

Behind this little touch of humor, the hero of the "Indiana Jones" saga has agreed to give his name to this species, he who is very committed "to the protection of the environment", according to the German-American biologist Edgar Lehr.

The 81-year-old actor is known for his actions for the NGO Conservation International, of which he is vice-president.

The actor, himself, claims to "not understand" this practice, he who has already given his name to a Calponia harrisonfordi spider and to a Pheidole harrisonfordi ant. "Scientists keep naming bugs my name, but they're always the ones that scare kids," he tweeted.

Behind this little touch of humor, the hero of the "Indiana Jones" saga has agreed to give his name to this species, he who is very committed "to the protection of the environment", according to the German-American biologist Edgar Lehr.

The 81-year-old actor is known for his actions for the NGO Conservation International, of which he is vice-president.

The NGO Conservation International, of which the actor is a prominent member of the board of directors, chose to name the species in his honor to salute his efforts in favor of environmental protection, from tropical forests to the seabed.

It is therefore "in homage to his work" that his name was used according to the journal Salamandra which published the scientific study.

The actor took the opportunity to deliver, again, the ecological message that is dear to him: “Seriously, this discovery is a lesson in humility. It's a reminder that there's still so much to learn about our wild world - and that humans are just a small part of an incredibly vast biosphere.

On this planet, all fates are linked, and at this moment, thousands of species are on the verge of oblivion. We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life.