Blind, worm-like amphibian named after Donald Trump
A British company paid $25,000 at an auction to name a Panamanian amphibian after Donald Trump. They appear to have spent far less on the Photoshop job in the picture above.
Blind, slippery and prone to burrowing underground, a newly discovered amphibian has much in common with President Donald Trump, claims the British company that named the creature.
EnviroBuild, a sustainable construction material company, paid $25,000 at an auction supporting the Rainforest Trust to name the Panamanian amphibian Dermophis donaldtrumpi. The name has yet to undergo peer review.
The company was inspired to name the amphibian, which looks like a large worm, after Trump as commentary on the president's climate change denial.
"The amphibians live almost entirely underground," a press release from the company explains.
"Burrowing its head underground helps Donald Trump when avoiding scientific consensus on anthropomorphic climate change," the company's spicy statement continues. It includes links to several Trump tweets referring to climate change as a hoax propagated by the Chinese.
Other characteristics of the Dermophis donaldtrumpi include tentacles for finding prey, an extra layer of skin that their young peel off and eat, and eyes that can only detect light and dark. Trump shares these traits with the amphibian, EnviroBuild argues, though in a metaphorical sense.
The company "is not an overtly political organisation," the press release stresses, "but we do feel very strongly that everyone should do everything they can to leave the world in a better way than they found it."
