Harrison Ford had the best possible reaction to finding out a new species of snake has been named after him.
Per a press release from Conservation International, a snake species discovered in Peru has been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi (the Salamandra journal has published the details). If you ask us, that name is absolutely perfect, but Ford himself (jokingly) doesn't agree.
"These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children. 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 said. He also has a spider (Calponia harrisonfordi) and an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) named after him, but this is his first snake.
A team of researchers trekking through an alpine swamp in the high in the Andes Mountains spot ambers eyes peering out of the rushes...The eyes belonged a snaked that is named Harrison Ford. Or at least it is now. pic.twitter.com/lzGCw3tEqVAugust 15, 2023
The male snake in question (pictured above) was discovered back in May 2022, sunbathing in a swamp in Peru's Otishi National Park.
"In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling," Ford continued. "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."
According to Conservation International's site, researchers said the snake species was named after Ford thanks to his environmental advocacy with the organization – he is its vice chair.
"Too often, reptile conservation can be overlooked – most people likely don't find snakes as cute as a fluffy panda cub, but their role in the world's ecosystems is just as important," Neil Cox, manager of the Conservation International-IUCN Biodiversity Assessment Unit, said. "This discovery helps us better understand how snake species exist and survive in the world, and I hope that its fun name will help draw attention to the threat of extinction facing reptiles globally."
Of course, Ford also played Indiana Jones, who famously hates snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
Ford put the bow on his time as the adventuring archaeologist with the recently released Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. For even more on that movie, check out our pieces on:
- Our Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny interview with the cast and director
- Harrison Ford and James Mangold's favorite Dial of Destiny memory
- Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall look back on over 40 years of Indiana Jones
- Why Dial of Destiny is the perfect goodbye to Indiana Jones
- Our Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Cannes interview
- Why Harrison Ford doesn't want to reflect on his old movies
- Mads Mikkelsen is desperate to play a zombie
- Mads Mikkelsen recalls meeting Harrison Ford
- The Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ending explained
- Does Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny have a post-credits scene?
- Kathleen Kennedy reveals new details about Rey and James Mangold Star Wars movies
