Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?! Well, Harrison Ford’s associated with them for the rest of his life thanks to Indiana Jones. Recently a group of scientists discovered a slithery new friend and named it “Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.” As you might expect, Ford’s response was amazing.
The 81-year-old Ford isn’t known for being, uh, overly enthusiastic about things. He’s the internet’s grumpy old grandad and we love him for it. He absolutely does not care about whether Han or Greedo shot first, he had no interest whatsoever in the Solo movie even before it flopped, and his reaction to “Who would win in a fight between Indy and Han?” is “What are you asking me that crap for?” The man DGAF.
(Of course, the question that hangs in the air here is, “Why is Ford beloved for this attitude about his films while young actresses of color are hated for the same thing?” but I digress.)
So, Ford didn’t disappoint when he was asked to comment about his namesake snake. (Namesnake?)
Tachymenoides harrisonfordi
Speaking via Conservation International, an organization for which he is vice co-chair, Ford said, “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.”
An A+ response, no notes. And yep, the snake isn’t the first creature to bear Ford’s name—he’s also got a spider (Calponia harrisonfordi) and an ant (Pheidole harrisonfordi) named after him. Both are creatures who’ve featured in scary Indiana Jones movie scenes, you might have noticed.
Ford dryly added, “The snake’s got eyes you can drown in, and he spends most of the day sunning himself by a pool of dirty water—we probably would’ve been friends in the early ’60s.” If you’re wondering whether this snake bears a resemblance to Ford in any other way, prepare to be disappointed, because Conservation International describes it as “pale yellowish-brown with scattered black blotches, a black belly, a vertical streak over his copper-colored eye.” And should you encounter one in the wild (they live in the mountains of Peru), you’ll come to no harm, because these snakes aren’t dangerous to humans.
At the end of his statement Ford got serious and said:
“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. 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.”
He is of course 100% right. Ford’s a big advocate for the natural world and absolutely deserves to have a snake named after him. Yep, even if he is sometimes grouchy about Star Wars.
(featured: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
