Music stars have been immortalized in unusual ways. A lilac is named for the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze." There are spider species named after both Brandi Carlile and Johnny Cash. And now, a species of snake is named for Slash.
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How Was the Species of Snake Found?
As reported by PEOPLE, scientists with the Field Museum discovered the new snake species in New Guinea. The island is located just north of Australia.
The species is scientifically referred to as Lielaphis slashi, or Slash's groundsnake. According to a press release, the reptile is not poisonous and will not harm humans. It has a simple scale pattern. The snake is also dark brown and has a tan underbelly.
Sara Ruane, the Field Museum's associate curator of herpetology, is one of the scientists who discovered the species and is the senior author of a paper published in Zootaxa that introduced it. She explained why she wanted to name the snake after the guitarist.
"Guns N' Roses has been one of my favorite bands since I was in first grade, and by fifth grade, I had already told my teacher that I wanted to be a herpetologist-- a scientist who studies reptiles-- when I grew up," said Ruane.
She added, "So when I was twelve years old and got my copy of Reptiles Magazine in the mail, and it had a picture of Slash holding his pet reticulated python on the cover, I thought, 'This guy is so cool.'"
What Does Slash Think?
Ruane then added that she reread the interview. In it, Slash talked about his love of museums and zoos. He also mentioned that he would often go outside and look for slithering reptiles.
"It was all stuff that I really related to, and it made me think that he'd be a great person to name a new species after," said Ruane.
In a statement, Slash responded to the news of having a snake species named after him.
"As a long-time herpephile, I am extremely honored and humbled to have Lielaphis slashi from New Guinea named after me," he said. "It is really exciting. I never would have imagined this moment would arrive."
Ruane conducted the study. Tianqi Huang of Rutgers University, Chris Austin of the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, Justin Bernstein of Slippery Rock University and the American Museum of Natural History, Bulisa Iova of the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, Jackson Roberts of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and Jeffrey Frederick of the University of Kentucky also contributed to the research.
