Harrison Ford reacts to new snake species being named after him: 'This discovery is humbling'
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Snakes… Why'd it have to be snakes?
Harrison Ford has been linked to the slithering reptiles ever since delivering that iconic line as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now scientists have decided to make the actor's relationship with snakes official by naming an entire species after him.
The Tachymenoides harrisonfordi is a newly discovered type of slender snake found in Peru's Andes Mountains. Researchers first spotted one male snake sun-basking in a swamp in May 2022, according to a new report published in the scientific journal Salamandra.
While intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones is a notorious serpent hater, Ford is pleased to share his name with the new species. For the most part, anyway.
CBS via Getty Harrison Ford in 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark'
"These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children," Ford jokingly lamented in a statement provided to EW. "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."
The Dial of Destiny star added, "In all seriousness, this discovery is humbling. 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."
Ford's namesake snake measures 16 inches long and is pale yellowish-brown with scattered black blotches, a black belly, and a vertical streak over his copper-colored eye. The species has been named to honor the actor's commitment to conservation, particularly regarding his longtime role as the vice chair of Conservation International's board of directors.
As Ford alluded to, this marks the third animal species named in his honor. He previously inspired the name of an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) and a spider (alponia harrisonfordi), but now he's graduated from insects and arachnids to a full-fledged reptile.
"Too often, reptile conservation can be overlooked," Neil Cox, manager of the Conservation International-IUCN Biodiversity Assessment Unit, said in a statement. "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."
Cox continued, "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."
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