When Edward Snowden decided to reveal everything about the National Security Agency’s previously secret spying programs, he probably wasn’t thinking about getting an animal named after him, especially a crayfish. But a German scientist is such a Snowden fan that he decided to name a new species of crayfish after Snowden.
Christian Lukhaup named Cherax snowden after Snowden and wrote about his discovery in Zookeys magazine with two other researchers.
“The new species is named after the [American] freedom fighter Edward Joseph Snowden,” the researchers wrote. “He is honored due to of his extraordinary achievements in defense of justice, and freedom. The name is used as a noun in apposition.”
The Cherax snowden lives in creeks in West Papua, Indonesia. It is mostly blue, with orange-tipped claws.
Lukhaup told The Washington Post Tuesday that he is a big fan of what Snowden did in 2013, when he revealed the secrets of the NSA’s surveillance program. He has earned support in Germany and is currently living in Russia.
"After describing a couple new species, I thought about naming one after Edward Snowden because he really impressed me," Lukhaup told The Washington Post. "We have so many species named after other famous people who probably don't do so much for humanity. I wanted to show support for Edward Snowden. I think what he did is something very special."
screenshot from YouTube video