Blind amphibian that heads in the sand named after Donald Trump

A newly discovered species, a blind amphibian that likes to put its head in the sand, is named after the American president Donald Trump. That dubious honor fell to the president after a company in sustainable building materials bought up the rights for naming the amphibian at an auction.

The 10-centimeter-long amphibian, which is not only blind, but also has no legs, was found in the waters of Panama. According to Aidan Bell, CEO of Envirobuild, the characteristic ‘head in the sand’ of the dermophis donaldtrumpi is very similar to Trump’s attitude towards climate change and global warming.

Bell paid $25,000 for the rights to the naming. That amount goes entirely to the Rainforest Trust. Scientists have agreed to use the name dermophis donaldtrumpi in their publications on amphibians.

Not the first time

It is not the first time that an animal has been named after the controversial American president. Earlier, a poisonous caterpillar with a coat was named after Trump, as well as a pheasant with golden feathers and last year a moth “with a small penis and a yellow crown”: the neopalpa donaldtrumpi.

Due to the changing climate, Americans were faced with both forest fires and floods this year alone, but Trump continues to view climate change as a hoax. The President’s response to a report from his own government, which was published last month and predicts that climate change will increasingly affect the lives of Americans, spoke volumes: “I do not believe that.”

Source
The Guardian, Twitter
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