A blind, worm-like amphibian has been named after Donald Trump in what the naming rights owners suggest is a reflection of the U.S. president’s attitude toward climate change.
The environmentally friendly furniture company EnviroBuild bought the naming rights to the species for US$25,000 at a charity auction involving 12 recently-discovered rainforest species.
EnviroBuild chose to name the species the Dermophis donaldtrumpi, in part due to the president’s climate change policies which will directly impact where the species lives.
“As Demorphus donaldtrumpi is an amphibian, it is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and is therefore in danger of becoming extinct as a direct result of its namesake's climate policies,” the company wrote in a news release.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the existence of climate change. He backed out of the Paris climate agreement and has made fossil fuel production a priority under his presidency.
The species is also blind and lives almost entirely underground, something EnviroBuild believes also matches the president’s take on climate change.
“Burrowing its head underground helps Donald Trump when avoiding scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change,” the company wrote.
While this name still needs approval, it’s not the first species to be named in Trump’s honour. The Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, for instance, is a moth that appears to have a similar hairstyle to Trump.
Proceeds from the auction went to help the protected areas where the species were found.
