Meet 7 fossils with names inspired by rock stars

Digging terrain and breaking rocks for hours can be boring. That is why some paleontologists prefer to do their work listening to music to make time pass faster, which can give them good ideas for the name of the fossils.

In addition, some bony features that are thousands of years old can also make great suggestions for this purpose. Coupled with the passion of many experts for good old rock and roll, the result is a mix of evolutionary rarities and music. Check out 7 fossils with names inspired by rock stars.

1 - Masiakasaurus knopfleri

Paleontologists working on a 70 million-year-old rock in Madagascar found many bones of a dog-sized predator dinosaur while listening to Dire Straits. So when it came time to name the fossil (above), they named it the Masiakasaurus knopfleri in honor of the band's lead singer Mark Knopfler.

2 - Qiliania graffini

Did you know that Bad Religion singer Greg Graffin is a PhD in Zoology and teaches life science and paleontology at the University of California? For, besides having this other professional side, the musician also earned a tribute from some colleagues.

Paleontologists who discovered an ancient bird fossil in Gansu province in China named the species Qiliania graffini in honor of Graffin. They said, "The name of the species is named after Dr. Gregory Graffin, PhD: paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, teacher, rock star and inspiration for scientists around the world."

3– Barbaturex morrisoni

Dead from an overdose at the age of 27, Jim Morrison was one of rock's greatest legends. Leader of the band The Doors, he proclaimed himself King Lizard and this title inspired some paleontologists who found the largest herbivore lizard fossil that may have ever lived on Earth.

About six feet long, from head to tail, the fossil was named Barbaturex morrisoni after Jim Morrison. "Barbatus comes from Latin, which means 'bearded' and rex, means 'king', with the names referring to the presence of grooves in the lower jaw as well as the giant size of the lizard, " explained paleontologist Dr. Russell Ciochon. from the University of Iowa. And the morrisoni, of course, comes from King Lizard of music.

4 - The punk Trilobites

The Trilobites were invertebrates that crawled on the prehistoric seabed. But there is a group that has a little more advantage. All species of the Arcticalymene genus are named after members of the Sex Pistols: A. jonesi, A. matlocki, A. cooki, A. vicious, and A. rotteni . The Ramones also had their tribute to the Mackenziurus Trilobites, being called Mackenziurus joeyi, M. johnnyi, M. deedeei, and M. ceejayi .

5 - Amaurotoma zappa

Snail fossils are generally very small and do not have the celebrity status of megamamifers or dinosaurs. But you shouldn't get any minor honors, right? For this reason, a 300 million-year-old snail found in the US state of Nevada has been named Amaurotoma Zappa in honor of multiple rock artist guitarist, singer and music producer Frank Zappa.

6 - AC / DC Latching

Paleontologist Gregory Edgecombe has a habit of naming fossils by his favorite musical artists. Not only did he christen the Trilobites Sex Pistols and Ramones, but also in a 1998 article, he named two 410 million-year-old centipedes as the names of the famous AC / DC brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, resulting in the names Maldybulakia. malcolmi and M. angusi, respectively.

7 - Jaggermeryx

This 19 million year old mammal had big lips like those of Mick Jagger, leader of the band The Rolling Stones. A cluster of small holes around Jaggermeryx's jaw, a distant cousin of today's hippos, indicates that he probably had unusually sensitive, full lips.