From Taylor Swift to Elton John: These Animal Species Are Named After Celebrities
Scientists discover thousands of new species every year, and a surprising number of those creatures end up named after pop culture icons, Hollywood stars and music legends.
The tradition of naming and classifying Earth’s living organisms stretches back roughly 300 years, to the work of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
Widely regarded as the “father of modern taxonomy,” Linnaeus described more than 10,000 species of plants and animals prior to his death, per the University of Arizona.
According to a new University of Arizona-led study published in Science Advances, the pace of discovery has accelerated dramatically — scientists are now discovering more than 16,000 new species each year, quicker than ever before.
With that many new organisms to name, scientists have to get creative. While many species are named after physical characteristics or locations, a notable number end up named after celebrities.
The reasons range from genuine admiration to lighthearted humor, and the stories behind these naming decisions are often just as interesting as the creatures themselves.
Some Celebrities Are More Popular Than Others
Some famous figures have accumulated not just one but multiple species named in their honor.
David Attenborough — the English broadcaster, natural historian and author famous for his pioneering wildlife documentaries — has dozens of animal species named after him.
Given his decades-long career bringing the natural world into living rooms around the globe, it’s perhaps no surprise that scientists have repeatedly turned to Attenborough when christening new discoveries.
Other celebrities with multiple species named after them include Stephen Colbert, Leonardo DiCaprio and Steve Irwin.
Stephen Colbert’s Five Species
The late-night television host has at least five species named after him, spanning a remarkably diverse range of creatures. They include a diving beetle (Agaporomorphus colberti), a parasitic wasp (Aleiodes colberti), a trapdoor spider (Aptostichus stephencolberti), a stonefly (Diamphipnoa colberti) and another beetle (Sonoma colberti).
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Beetles and Spiders
Leonardo DiCaprio has four species carrying his name: two beetles (Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi and Metallactus dicaprioi) and two spiders (Misumessus dicaprioi and Spintharus leonardodicaprioi).
Steve Irwin: Discoverer and Honoree
Steve Irwin, one of the most famous wildlife conservationists, holds a special distinction — he actually discovered one of the species named after him.
Irwin and his father, Bob, were catching crocodiles on a river when they spotted an unusual-looking turtle. They took it to a turtle expert and it turned out to be a new species. That turtle was then named Elseya irwini in honor of Steve and Bob.
Irwin also has a snail (Crikey steveirwini) named after him. Dr. John Stanisic, who discovered the snail, described it as “a colourful snail, with swirling bands of creamy yellow, orange-brown and chocolate giving the shell an overall khaki appearance.”
He named it after Irwin because he was always wearing a khaki uniform — a fitting tribute that connected the creature’s appearance to one of the conservationist’s most recognizable traits.
Music Icons With Their Own Animal Species
Several of the world’s biggest musicians have lent their names to newly discovered creatures, often in ways that reflect their artistry or stage personas.
Elton John’s Amphipod
Leucothoe eltoni is a tiny, shrimp-like crustacean known as an amphipod. The species was published in Zookeys.
“I named the species in honour of Sir Elton John because I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career,” Dr. James Thomas said, per Science Daily.
“So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind,” he added.
Shakira’s Belly-Dancing Wasp
Aleiodes shakirae is a species of parasitic wasp, published in Zookeys.
The Shakira wasp is a parasite of caterpillars, feeding and developing inside them — and causing them to bend and twist their abdomens in a distinctive way, which reminded lead author Scott Shaw and colleague Eduardo Shimbori of belly dancing, per UW.
For anyone familiar with Shakira’s signature hip-shaking dance moves, the link becomes clear.
Beyoncé’s Golden-Bottomed Horse Fly
Plinthina beyonceae is a species of horse fly, published in the Australian Journal of Entomology.
The horse fly was initially discovered in 1981, but not described or named until 2011. It has a distinctive shiny bum, due to a dense patch of golden hairs on its abdomen.
Its golden backside reminded scientists of the song “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child, hence the Beyoncé tribute.
Taylor Swift’s Twisted-Claw Millipede
Nannaria swiftae is a North American millipede, published in Zookeys.
The twisted-claw millipede was found in the Appalachian Mountains along with 16 other new species of millipedes. Derek Henen, who named the millipede, is a known Swiftie.
“Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks,” he said of Taylor Swift in a news release.
Jennifer Lopez’s Aquatic Mite
Litarachna lopezae is a species of aquatic mite, published in Zookeys.
“The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is that J.Lo’s songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup Soccer 2014,” explained lead author Vladimir Pešić, per Entomology Today.
Lady Gaga’s Treehopper
Kaikaia gaga is a species of treehopper, published in Zootaxa.
“If there is going to be a Lady Gaga bug, it’s going to be a treehopper, because they’ve got these crazy horns, they have this wacky fashion sense about them,” lead author Brendan Morris said in a news release. “They’re unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.”
All Four Members of Queen
In one of the most comprehensive musical tributes in taxonomy, all four members of Queen received their own species of damselfly: Heteragrion freddiemercuryi (Freddie Mercury), Heteragrion brianmayi (Brian May), Heteragrion rogertaylori (Roger Taylor) and Heteragrion johndeaconi (John Deacon).
Published in Zootaxa, the species were described by lead author F. A. A. Lencioni in 2013.
“I name this species after Freddie Mercury, artistic name of Farrokh Bulsara (1946–1991), superb and gifted musician and songwriter whose wonderful voice and talent still entertain millions of people around the world,” wrote Lencioni.
Three other species were named after the other members of Queen to pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of the band’s founding, which occurred in 1971.
Hollywood Stars and Their Creepy Crawlies
The film industry has also been a rich source of inspiration for species names, with scientists often drawing clever connections between an actor’s most famous roles and the characteristics of the creature they’ve discovered.
Jeff Daniels’ Tarantula-Killing Worm
Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi is a species of nematodes, which are parasitic worms, published in the Journal of Parasitology.
This parasitic worm is only the second known species of nematodes to infect and kill tarantulas. It was named in honor of Jeff Daniels’ character in the film Arachnophobia, who saves a town from a deadly infestation of spiders.
“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why? Is there a resemblance?’” Daniels told UCR. “Honestly, I was honored by their homage to me and Arachnophobia. Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”
The Spider-Man Connection
Two actors who portrayed Spider-Man on the big screen have each had a spider species named after them, and both were described in the same journal.
Filistata maguirei, named after Tobey Maguire, is a species of spider also known as crevice weavers, published in Arthropoda Selecta. It was discovered in the Geno Biosphere Reserve in Iran.
The spider is active at night, just like Tobey Maguire’s character Spiderman, and is primarily found living among rocks, logs and other micro-habitats. They are venomous, but don’t pose any risk to humans.
Pritha garfieldi, named after Andrew Garfield, is also a species of crevice weaver spider, published in Arthropoda Selecta. It was found in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran and was described in the same journal as Maguire’s spider.
Idris Elba’s Stink Bug-Hijacking Wasp
Idris elba is a species of parasitic wasp, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
Species in the Idris genus are known to lay their eggs inside spider eggs, but this one in particular chose to infiltrate an invasive species of stink bug named Bagrada hilaris.
Elijah Talamas, who once joked with a colleague that it would be funny to see a species named after Idris Elba given the obvious connection, was handed that opportunity when he observed a new species of Idris emerge from a stink bug he was studying.
Angelina Jolie’s Trapdoor Spider
Aptostichus angelinajolieae is a species of trapdoor spider, published in Ecology and Evolution.
Jason Bond, a researcher at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History and Department of Biological Sciences, described 33 new trapdoor spider species from the American Southwest in 2012.
One was named after Angelina Jolie, but she wasn’t the only one honored. Bond also named spiders after President Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert and Bono, whose spider was found in Joshua Tree National Park, a reference to U2’s “The Joshua Tree” album from 1987.
Brad Pitt’s Thai Wasp
Conobregma bradpitti is a species of parasitic wasp from Thailand, published in Zookeys.
A poster of Brad Pitt was hanging in the laboratory where Dr. Bunktika A. Butcher of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand spent hours studying the wasp. She decided to name the wasp in his honor, per the Miami Herald.
Sometimes inspiration simply comes from what’s hanging on the wall.
Kate Winslet’s Rain Forest Beetle
Agra katewinsletae is a Costa Rican species of ground beetle, published in Zootaxa.
Entomologist Terry Erwin discovered 29 new species of ground beetle in Costa Rica and named one after Kate Winslet in honor of her iconic role as Rose in Titanic.
“Her character did not go down with the ship, but we will not be able to say the same for this elegant canopy species, if all the rain forest is converted to pastures,” Erwin wrote in the paper.
He also named another one of the beetles after Liv Tyler.
Harrison Ford: A Reluctant Animal Namesake
Harrison Ford has not just one but multiple species named after him, including a Californian spider (Calponia harrisonfordi), an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) and a Peruvian snake (Tachymenoides harrisonfordi).
The spider was first described in 1993 by Norman I. Platnick, who named the type species after the film actor to thank him for narrating a documentary for the Natural History Museum in London.
“These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children,” Ford told Conservation International, per 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.”
Johnny Depp’s Ancient Scissorhands Creature
Kootenichela deppi is a Cambrian arthropod known from a fossil, published in the Journal of Paleontology.
This arthropod lived more than 500 million years ago. It was no more than five centimeters long and sported a pair of “great appendages”, each with three spiny finger-like projections.
It was named after Johnny Depp “for his portrayal of Edward Scissorhands in the 1990 film of the same name,” per the paper.
A Lanternshark Named After the Author of “Jaws”
Etmopterus benchleyi is a species of lanternshark, published in Zenodo.
Also known as the Ninja Lanternshark due to its dark black appearance, its scientific name was chosen as a nod to Peter Benchley, the author of the 1974 novel “Jaws.”
Its upper jaw teeth are small, straight, and pointed, whereas the lower jaw teeth are larger.
A Justice’s Praying Mantis
Ilomantis ginsburgae is a leaf-dwelling praying mantis, published in Insect Systematics & Evolution.
Researchers Sydney Brannoch and Gavin Svenson discovered a species of leaf-dwelling praying mantis and named it after Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of its neck plate that resembles the jabot (collar) worn by justices.
It was also the first praying mantis classified based on female genitalia and named in honor of Ginsburg for her relentless fight for gender equality.
With scientists discovering more than 16,000 new species each year, the tradition of celebrity-inspired naming shows no signs of slowing down.
The question is which celebrity will be next, and what kind of creature will bear their name.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
