“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 says
“Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” says Indiana Jones, the snake-fearing archaeologist famously played by Harrison Ford.
While Indy may dislike the sight of a snake, Ford just had one named after him!
In Peru, a new species of snake was discovered at Otishi National Park, where scientists named their discovery Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.
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The actor gave a classic, sassy Harrison response, but also took the time to acknowledge how “humbling” it is to discover a new species.
“The snake’s got eyes you can drown in, and he spends most of the day sunning himself by a pool of dirty water—we probably would’ve been friends in the early ’60s,” said Ford in a statement to Conservation International, which Harrison Ford serves as vice chairman.
“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,” added Ford.
Harrison Ford has thoughts about a new species of snake that has been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi: pic.twitter.com/F5FPD5bcKa
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 15, 2023
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“In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling,” continued Ford. “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,” added the actor. “We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life.”
The actor now has three species named after himself. In 1993, a newly discovered spider was dubbed Calponia harrisonfordi. After that, he also had an ant species named after him, the Pheidole harrisonfordi.
While Ford might be excited about the discovery of a snake, the classic adventurer would not approve.
“I hate snakes… I hate ’em!”
