Led Zeppelin and 5 Other Musicians Who’ve Had Species/Fossils Named After Them

The old surefire sign you made it to next-level fame came when a local restaurant named a sandwich or menu item after you, but now scientists have taken their fandom to new heights.

Within the past decade, scientists have taken to naming various animals, other new species or fossils after their favorite rock stars. The latest example of this comes via a group of Ecuadorian Andes researchers who named a new species of terrestrial frog Pristimantis ledzeppelin after Led Zeppelin. Singer Robert Plant cheekily commented about this news via Twitter, “I wonder if Robert Johnson’s terraplane knows about this.”

In honor of this news, here are some other species/fossils named after musicians.

• Led Zeppelin – Pristimantis ledzeppelin

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  Meaning "Led Zeppelin's Rain Frog" in English, Pristimantis ledzeppelin was discovered by scientists David Brito-Zapata and Carolina Reyes-Puig. The two scientists said in the 'Neotropical Biodiversity Journal,' "The name honours Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music. Led Zeppelin was a British rock band formed in London in 1968, one of the most influential bands throughout the 1970s, and progenitors of both hard rock and heavy metal."

• Pink Floyd – Synalpheus pinkfloydi

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  This species of shrimp was named after Pink Floyd for a very simple reason:  The team of scientists was all really big Floyd fans.

• Ozzy Osbourne – Dendropsophus ozzyi

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  What happens when scientists find a new species of frog that emits high-pitched sounds like a bat?  Naturally, you name it after the Prince of Darkness.
• Joe Strummer – Alviniconcha strummeri

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  So, why was a newly discovered snail named after the late Clash frontman?  Because researcher Shannon Johnson said the snail was covered in spikes and lived in “hot, acidic poison, so they’re pretty hardcore.”  Can’t argue with that reasoning, can you?

• David Bowie – Heteropoda davidbowie

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  Appropriately, a spider was named in honor of Bowie, but scientists didn’t find this new species on Mars; it was found in Southeast Asia.

• Mick Jagger – Anomphalus jaggerius

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  While this fossil being named after Jagger led to a ton of “old” jokes, the reason why the hippo-like fossil was named after the Rolling Stones frontman was due to its large lips.