Guns N’ Roses star Slash gets unusual honor as scientists name new snake species after him
Guns N' Roses musician and 'lifelong reptile lover' Slash has been honored by scientists who have named a newly-discovered species of snake after the star.
The groundsnake, which is nonvenomous and does not pose a threat to humans, was discovered by researchers in New Guinea, a remote island north of Australia.
Images of the newly-discovered snake depict a simple scale pattern which is dark brown in color with a tan underbelly.
And the musician, who is lead guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, has responded to the 'honor', branding himself a 'long-time herpephile'.
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Writing in a statement, the 61-year-old said: "As a long-time herpephile, I am extremely honored and humbled to have Lielaphis slashi from New Guinea named after me.
"It is really exciting, I never would have imagined this moment would arrive."
The Field Museum, located in Chicago, described the star as a 'lifelong reptile lover and an avid supporter of zoos and museums', after forming the rock supergroup 'Slash’s Snakepit' in 1994.
The Field Museum’s Associate Curator of Herpetology and senior author of a paper, Sara Ruane, was one of the key researchers involved in the discovery, and has revealed why she decided to gift Slash the great privilege.
The scientist explained: "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.
"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'."
But her fascination with the star didn't end there.
Ruane added: "I reread his interview, and he talked about how much he loves museums and zoos and natural history, and about how when he was a kid, he’d go outside and look for snakes - 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."
Explaining the science behind the snake, Chris Austin, one of the authors of the new study, said: "These New Guinea ground snakes are nocturnal, so the best way to find them is at night. They are typically found just after sunset at the base of large trees, where they are looking for something to eat."
He noted that researchers working on the project had to be 'very careful' while working at night on the project, as there are 'several highly venomous species that look very similar' to the newly-named, and harmless, Lielaphis slashi.
Mia Williams