A new species of snake has been named after Indiana Jones legend, Harrison Ford.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pale yellowish-brown snake (with scattered black splotches) was discovered by researchers in the Andes mountains in Peru and has been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.
It’s unclear whether the species is particularly skittish around other snakes.
“These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children,” said Ford. “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.”
Ford has also inspired the naming of an ant, Pheidole harrisonfordi, as well as a spider, Calponia harrisonfordi. However, the naming of this snake is particularly significant, with its discovery in Peru echoing Indiana Jones' first big screen outing to the Chachapoyan Temple in Peru at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
“In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling,” Ford added. “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.”
It turns out that Ford, unlike Indiana Jones, is a big fan of snakes. "I actually like snakes!" he said during an AMA on reddit. "When I was young, I was a boy scout nature camp counselor, and one of our projects was collecting snakes and creating an environment for them, so I'm quite familiar with snakes and think they're fantastic creatures."
Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is a slender snake typically measuring around 16 inches long and sports a black belly as well as a vertical streak over its copper-colored eyes. The discovery was the result of a joint collaboration between researchers from Peru and the United States.
Much like his human counterpart, the Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is a little antisocial, with only one specimen (a male) found during the research project. It was found sunbathing in a swamp in Otishi National Park.
Professor of biology Edgar Lehr from the Illinois Wesleyan University, said the team is ‘honored’ that Ford has accepted the snake’s name.
“For a biologist, describing a new species and making it public with its new name is one of the most vital activities during the biodiversity crisis,” he said. “We hope the new snake will create awareness about the importance of biological fieldwork that intends to discover the unknown — often an adventurous and expensive process requiring more financial support from funding agencies. Only organisms that are known can be protected.”
Ford’s iconic line about snakes appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Want to read more about Indiana Jones? Check out how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny de-aged Harrison Ford and find out Harrison Ford’s favorite Indiana Jones moments.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
