Harrison Ford will always be best remembered for his role as Dr. Indiana "Indy" Jones in the iconic franchise, and now, not only is he immortalized on the screen but in science, too!
Since the George Lucas-created film series first debuted in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of Indy's signature traits, aside from his lasso-whipping skills and in spite of his brave adventurer persona, was his fear of snakes.
Just as his character has never been able to escape encounters with the slithering creatures – "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" he famously exclaimed in the first film – Harrison will be forever entwined with them, thanks to an unusual new honor.
Researchers have discovered a new species of snake in the Andes mountains of Peru, and have decided to name it "Tachymenoides harrisonfordi," inspired by his on-screen alter ego's biggest fear – as well as Harrison's decades-long commitment to environmental advocacy. He currently holds the role of vice-chair of Conservation International.
"These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children. I don't understand," he said, per The Hollywood Reporter (Harrison has previously inspired the name of an ant, Pheidole harrisonfordi, and a spider, Calponia harrisonfordi).
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"I spend my free time cross-stitching," he joked of his kind and gentle ways. "I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won't fear the night."
Still, he 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."
Harrison concluded his reaction to the latest animal-related honor with an important reminder: "On this planet, all fates are intertwined, and right now, one million species are teetering on the edge of oblivion.
© Getty"We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life."
The snake is described by scientific journal Salamandra as a 16-inch, slender reptile with yellow-brown skin dotted with black blotches, a black belly, and copper-hued eyes. A single male was found in May 2022, in a swamp in Otishi National Park.
© GettyHarrison has long been involved with environmental causes and has a deep love for the outdoors, which he further developed after purchasing a 800-acre retreat in Jackson Hole over thirty years ago, before it became a hot travel destination.
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© Getty"It had everything I ever wanted," he told The Land Report in 2007, and recalling what drew him to the property, he added: "It was about water, streams, trees, animals, a grand expression of nature. The Tetons rising sharply from a flat, high mountain plateau."
Since 1985, he has donated several conservation easements from his property, in an effort to prohibit human development that would interfere with wildlife and other natural resources.
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