Weird animals named after famous figures

What's in a name?

While there are strict rules in place for naming new species, one of the things taxonomists can get away with is naming their new discovery after a famous figure or even a fictional person or place. Some, such as Steve Irwin and David Attenborough, even have numerous species named after them. And some of these creatures are in turn exceedingly bizarre. As a biologist (and a geek), I always have a little chuckle when I encounter a drab little moth with the specific epithet 'mordor'or a lizard genus called 'Smaug' for instance. Below I will explore some of the weirder ones I've come across.

Kootenichela deppi

Named for the resemblance of its claws to Johnny Depp's in the movie Edward Scissorhands, this Cambrian era primitive arthropod is thought to have scavenged or hunted along the sea floor with its weird appendages. The scientist who named it, David Legg, admits to being a big Johnny Depp fan and couldn't resist immortalizing his hero with the find.

Irwin's turtle (Elseya irwini)

Who better to name a species after than a famous conservationist and zoologist? As it happens quite a few species have been named after Irwin. The one pictured above, Irwin's turtle, is rather unusual in being a cloacal respirator. In other words, an organism that breathes from the same orifice it uses to void waste. The turtle accomplishes this feat by use of a muscular chamber beyond the cloaca with finger-like projections (like the microvilli in your intestine) which increase surface area and blood supply, thus allowing the animal to absorb oxygen from water pumped in and out the chamber.

Even weirder is that Irwin has had a rare species of Pulmonate snail named after him as well, after the scientist who discovered it drew a connection between the khaki striping on its shell and the late conservationist. It's name? Crikey steveirwini of course. It is the only member of the genus Crikey!

Attenborosaurus

Another famous conservation figure with multiple species named after him is David Attenborough. Perhaps my favorite of these, Attenborosaurus, was initially placed in thePlesiosaurus genus but later recognized as being distinct from these. At only 5 meters, this one scales in as fairly dinky for a Plesiosaur, but you still probably wouldn't have wanted to run into one in the water.

Bagheera kiplingi

It's not only media celebrities that have had species named for them. Indeed, writers have had their fair share as well. Bagheera kiplingi, a jumping spider from Central America, was originally named from a specimen found in the 1800's. In an ironic twist, this species, named for Rudyard Kipling and his panther character of Jungle Book fame, turned out to be the only (mostly) vegetarian spider ever found when it was studied in its natural environment over a century later. Their diet consists of acacia buds and the occasional insect snack.

Leviathan melvillei

Even cooler than Kipling's vegetarian spider is the prehistoric monster whale named for Herman Melville, the author of 'Moby Dick'. Leviathan was over 13m long with 36 cm long dagger-like teeth, facts which enabled it to eat large prey, including other whales. Interestingly, Melville's book is thought to be based on the true events which occurred aboard the whaling ship Essex (and later it's life-boats). If you're interested in this back story, check out the book by Nathaniel Philbrick detailing these events (one of my favorite works of historical fiction) here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17780.In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea

Anophthalmus hitleri

Even infamous figures have had species named for them. The rare troglodytic (cave-dwelling) Hitler beetle was named by a German entomologist with a big Hitler fetish. It is found in only 15 Slovenian cave systems and now, bizarrely, is in danger of extinction due to being prized as a neo-nazi collector's item.

Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) aka The Playboy Bunny

Even Hugh Hefner has had a species named for him. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit is an endangered island dwelling sub-species named after Hefner donated money towards their conservation back in 1984. The problem the population of these rabbits is facing is a genetic bottle-neck. With only 300 individuals left, genetic diversity in the population is low. As human population associated pressures in their island home increase, it becomes more difficult for these specialist Lagomorphs to survive, as they lack the genetic diversity to (for example) take advantage of new feeding niches or adapt to living alongside humans. Current conservation efforts are focused on translocating bunnies from separate populations to a new area where they can hopefully establish a more stable population.

Well, that wraps up this look into species with strange scientific names, but there are plenty more out there to be discovered! Who would you name a new species after?

Happy Steeming people,
The Wise Fox

Sources:
https://koshersamurai.wordpress.com/category/arachnology/
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_16-5-2013-10-40-49
http://natmonitor.com/2014/06/17/science-solves-mystery-of-turtle-butt-breathing/
https://phys.org/news/2009-11-crikey-steveirwini-snail-honour-late.html
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/a/attenborosaurus.html
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/10/091012-vegetarian-spider.html
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-whale-of-a-fossil-is-named-in-honor-of-herman-melville/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fans-exterminate-hitler-beetle-6232054.html
https://phys.org/news/2009-06-endangered-playboy-bunnies.html

Images:

1. https://koshersamurai.wordpress.com/category/arachnology/
2. https://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/species/?elseya-irwini-johnstone
3. https://alchetron.com/Crikey-steveirwini
4. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Attenborosaurus_BW.jp
5. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagheera_kiplingi
6. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-whale-of-a-fossil-is-named-in-honor-of-herman-melville
7. https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/species-named-after-celebrities/
8. https://phys.org/news/2009-06-endangered-playboy-bunnies.html