‘Why did it have to be snakes?’ New snake species named after Harrison Ford

“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” asks Indiana Jones in Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981).

But unlike his iconic character, who fears the reptiles, American actor Harrison Ford, 81, likes them.

And now, a new species – discovered in May 2022 – has been named after him: Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.

The slender snake measures 40.6cm long when fully grown. It is pale, yellowish-brown with scattered black blotches, a black belly and a vertical streak over its copper-coloured eye.

Researchers from Peru and the United States discovered the male snake sun-basking in a swamp within Peru’s Otishi National Park.

Their discovery and details about the reptile were published in the scientific journal Salamandra on Tuesday.

Researchers named the new species to honour Ford’s environmental advocacy through his role with non-profit Conservation International, said the organisation on Tuesday. Ford is Conservation International’s 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,” said Ford.

“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.”

Ford also has an ant – Pheidole harrisonfordi – and a spider – Calponia harrisonfordi – named after him.