‘Tachymenoides harrisonfordi’: New snake species named after Harrison Ford

Actor Harrison Ford is known for his roles in “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars.” Now, Ford has a new honor to add — he has a snake species named after him.

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Ford is the vice chair of the nonprofit Conservation International, according to the BBC. He has also been linked with snakes in his role as the titular character in the “Indiana Jones” franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children,” Ford told Conservation International, according to the BBC. “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 also has an ant and a spider named after him, according to the news outlet.

Researchers from Peru and the United States discovered the newly named snake species in Peru’s Otisihi National Park, the BBC reported.

“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 said in a statement to Conservation International.

The nonprofit said that the snake had been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi. They are slender reptiles that grow to about 16 inches, according to Conservation International. The species likes to eat frogs and lizards but it is harmless to humans.

Fans of Ford’s Indiana Jones would remember the iconic line from the 1981 film “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Ford’s character says, “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?” while surrounded by reptiles in the Well of Souls, according to People.

The most recent “Indiana Jones” film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” came out on June 30.

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