The actor who portrays Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, has inspired the naming of a new species of snake discovered in the Andes highlands. Ford’s character had a well-known bad relationship with snakes.
Ford’s memorable phrase, “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” in the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and subsequent moments with the slimy critters throughout the series have forever tied him to them.
Researchers in Peru discovered a new snake species in May and named it Tachymenoides Harrisonfordi after Harrison Ford, who found the discovery and naming “humbling.”
Researchers have also named an ant (Pheidole Harrisonfordi) and a spider (Calponia Harrisonfordi) after the actor, so the snake isn’t the only animal to bear his name.
Ford pointed out that scientists have named terrifying creatures after him, and they scare children. He feels this is a mischaracterization because, in his spare time, he does cross-stitch and sings lullabies to his basil plants.
Ford said that the discovery of the new species serves as a sobering reminder that our knowledge of the natural world is far from complete and that humans are just a speck in an infinitely large biosphere.
Ford said that all life on Earth is connected, and a million different species are on the verge of extinction. According to the actor, restoring our frayed connection with the natural world and safeguarding its sustaining ecosystems is an existential need.
Only one of these species, a 16-inch long snake that is thin and light yellowish brown with black splotches, has been found by United States and Peru scientists. According to the publication, the snake has been given Ford’s name in recognition of his decades-long commitment to environmental causes.
Ford’s character reaffirms his hate for snakes in the sequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom after being presented with the unsettling snake surprise in Pankot Palace. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has a flashback scene set on a train when Indy finds himself trapped in the reptile compartment and surrounded by boxes of snakes.
