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The two creatures received two exquisite names inspired from famous people
The discovery of new species isn’t so unusual in the scientific world, but these creatures become even more remarkable when they get named after famous people. Researchers have just stumbled upon two new species in a bed of fossils in southern Australia, and the two creatures received really popular names. The first one got the honor of being named after Obama, while the second one received the name of the British naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Tiny fossil named after Obama
Naming fossils after famous people is a nice practice, as it can honor remarkable personalities who had great achievements. Therefore, for this recent discovery, researchers decided to pick two well-known people when they chose the names for the fossils.
The first creature lived in the oceans about 500 million years ago. It looked a lot like a disk and featured some spirals on its surface. However, it’s existence wasn’t too exciting, as researchers think it spent its life attached to the bottom of the ocean.
This unfortunate situation didn’t stop them from making the creature an exciting one. Therefore, they offered it the honor of being named after Obama. This way, the underwater fossil is now Obamus coronatus. The word coronatus is Latin for “crowned”, so the tiny creature really received an exquisite name.
The second fossils bears the name of Sir David Attenborough
The second fossil belongs to a creature that looked a lot like an egg and was about the size of a raisin. This time, researchers picked Sir David Attenborough to name it. The final result is Attenborites janeae, and it brings a tribute to another person as well. Jane Fargher is the co-owner of the place where these fossils were found, so janeae is a direct reference to her.
The creature named after Obama and the naturalist critter were both among the earliest animals on Earth. Researchers were amazed to discover they were preserved in such a good state, so they bring a valuable contribution to the records on biodiversity.
A study on the fossil named after Obama was published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, as well as one on the findings in the respective fossil bed.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
