Indiana Jones Would Shudder At Harrison Ford's Latest Contribution To Science
Where does the line between fact and fiction begin to blur? Certain once-in-a-generation roles tend to have that effect on their respective actors, like Robert Downey, Jr. and the commonly accepted narrative that he's essentially "playing himself" as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, Harrison Ford has had more than his fair share of portraying iconic characters, and now the star will forever remain indistinguishable from his performances as Indiana Jones, thanks to an unexpected source — the scientific community.
The Hollywood Reporter has the details on this fun story that Indy himself would probably consider to be unsettling. Thanks to a singularly famous line in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which was subsequently doubled down upon and turned into a recurring gag with every proceeding film, even the most casual fans know that there's only one thing that the fearless archaeologist and explorer simply cannot abide: snakes. Naturally, researchers have gone ahead and named a recent discovery of a new species after the actor himself. Meet Tachymenoides harrisonfordi (that's the two-part name derived from Latin describing the genus and then the species of a certain animal, for all those who fell asleep during middle school science class), found in the Andes Mountains in Peru during May of 2022 and that will now forever be associated with the beloved actor.
It feels pretty obvious to us that Indy himself would absolutely hate this honor, but it's the thought that counts! As for Ford, the longtime conservationist and environmental advocate's response was as quintessential as it gets. Check out the details below!
Snakes. Why'd it have to be, well, you know the drill.
As Indy himself once put it in "Temple of Doom," "Nothing shocks me ... I'm a scientist." That line of dialogue just got closer to becoming a reality, at least for the character's real-life counterpart. It just so happens to come as a result of Indiana Jones' lifelong struggle with ophidiophobia, the official term for fear of snakes that I just looked up in the hopes of impressing my old science teachers.
As for Harrison Ford, his official reaction to the news of having an entirely new species of snake named after him is as hilarious as it gets. In a comment that has already been rightfully compared to that of a satirical Clickhole article, the "Indiana Jones" actor weighed in on the prestigious honor in the only way he could. As he put it:
"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."
Those previous "critters" include a type of ant known as Pheidole harrisonfordi and a certain kind of spider as well, called Calponia harrisonfordi. After making the mistake of image searching those two types of animals, well, we'd have to agree with the "terrify children" part. Of course, Ford quickly pivots from the joke to call it "humbling" and talk up the importance of conservationism: "On this planet, all fates are intertwined, and right now, one million species are teetering on the edge of oblivion. We have an existential mandate to mend our broken relationship with nature and protect the places that sustain life."
If Indiana Jones can make peace with snakes, we have no excuse either.