Animal Species Named For Celebrities

BEYONCÉ'S HORSE FLY

Scientific Name: Scaptia beyonceae 

Family: Tabanidae

Habitat: Throughout Australia 

Fun Fact: The fly's gold-tipped abdomen inspired researchers to name the insect after Beyoncé, since she is a strong supporter of being "bootylicious." 

JOHN CLEESE'S WOOLLY LEMUR 

Scientific Name: Avahi cleesei

Family: Indriidae

Habitat: Remote jungles of Madgascar

Fun Fact: John Cleese was honored with his own species of lemur because of the comedian's fondness for the critter, as shown in the show "Fierce Creatures" and in Cleese's ongoing work to protect lemur populations. 

STING'S COLUMBIAN TREE FROG

Scientific Name: Dendropsophus stingi

Family: Hylidae

Habitat: Streams and jungles of South America 

Fun Fact: This frog was named after Sting in recognition of the artist's dedicated work to protecting the world's rain forests. 

BARACK OBAMA'S DARTER FISH

Scientific Name: Etheostoma obama

Family: Percidae

Habitat: Fast-moving waterways of North America

Fun Fact: Several new species of darter fish were found at the same time and named after presidents like Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

FREDDIE MERCURY'S ISOPOD

Scientific Name: Cirolana mercuryi

Family: Cirolanidae

Habitat: Coral reefs of Zanzibar 

Fun Fact: As a way of paying tribute to one of their most famous residents, Zanzibar chose to name the newly found isopod after Mercury. 

HUGE HEFNER'S RABBIT

Scientific Name: Sylvilagus palustris hefneri

Family: Leporidae

Habitat: Florida Keys' freshwater marshes

Fun Fact: The rabbit was named after Hugh Hefner in recognition of Hefner's work creating the Playboy bunny. Unfortunately, the species is now at great risk of becoming extinct.  

STEPHEN COLBERT'S DIVING BEETLE

Scientific Name: Agaporomorphus colberti

Family: Dytiscidae

Habitat: Waters of Venezuela 

Fun Fact: Scientists discovered the beetle around Colbert's May 13 birthday and named the insect after him as a gift. 

STEVE IRWIN'S SNAIL 

Scientific Name: Crikey steveirwini

Family: Camaenidae

Habitat: Wet tropics of Australia 

Fun Fact: Only two specimens of this snail dedicated to the famous wildlife expert have been found alive, leading scientists to believe they are tree-dwelling snails. 

ANGELINA JOLIE'S SPIDER

Scientific Name: Aptostichus angelinajolieae

Family: Cyrtaucheniidae

Habitat: Coastal dunes of Northern California

Fun Fact: This arachnid is a trapdoor spider, which means they create hatches for themselves in the ground to hide from predators. 

BOB MARLEY'S OCEAN PARASITE

Scientific Name: Gnathia marleyi

Family: Gnathiidae

Habitat: Shallow water of the Caribbean Sea

Fun Fact: While this creature may be pesky, scientists named it after singer Bob Marley out of respect for his music. The discoverers believed that like the parasite, Marley was uniquely Caribbean.