We’re not really sure what Yale scientists think of President Barack Obama, but what we can tell you is this: they recently named an extinct, tiny, bug-eating reptile after the commander in chief.
The Obamadon gracilis lived millions of years ago and was among lizards wiped out by an asteroid collision widely thought to have killed the dinosaurs, a Yale University release states.
In reassessing previously collected fossils, they came across an unnamed species and called it Obamadon gracilis. In Latin, odon means “tooth” and gracilis means “slender.”
It is a small polyglyphanodontian distinguished by tall, slender teeth. … (Researchers) said the creature likely measured less than one foot long and probably ate insects.
Long, slender teeth. You mean like fangs? So a cold-blooded creature with fangs gets named after Obama. Nice.
By the way, Nicholas Longrich, a postdoctoral associate with Yale’s Department of Geology and Geophysics and lead author of the study, said in the release that “no one should impute any political significance to the decision to name the extinct lizard after the recently re-elected U.S. president: “We’re just having fun with taxonomy.”
Yes, we’re getting a chuckle out of this.
By the way, in case you missed it, click here to read about the Duke University professor who recently named a gay fern after Lady Gaga.