Harrison Ford reacts after 'terrifying' new snake is named after him

A new species of snake has been named after Harrison Ford - and the actor has shared his amusing response to this news.

The name of the snake species found in Peru has been named Tachymenoides harrisonfordi to pay tribute to the 81-year-old Hollywood legend for his environmental and conservation work.

In May last year, the discovery was made of the snake which is 16 inches long and has yellow-brown colours with black spots on top and black on its stomach underneath.

Ford is well-known for his starring role as archaeological professor Indiana Jones, who famously said: “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”

It's not the first time Ford has had a species named after him, there is the Calponia harrisonfordi spider and the Pheidole harrisonfordi ant.

Since finding out he can now add a snake species to the list, the Star Wars actor provided a hilarious reaction but also described the honour as "humbling".

"These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it's always the ones that terrify children," Ford told Conservation International, a non-profit where he is vice chair.

"I don't understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching.

"I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won't fear the night."

“The snake’s got eyes you can drown in, and he spends most of the day sunning himself by a pool of dirty water – we probably would’ve been friends in the early 60s,” he said.

“In all seriousness,” Ford continued. “This discovery is humbling. It’s a reminder that there’s still so much to learn about our wild world – and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere.”

Neil Cox, manager of the Conservation International-IUCN Biodiversity Assessment noted how "important" snakes are within our ecosystem.

“Most people likely don’t find snakes as cute as a fluffy panda cub, but their role in the world’s ecosystems is just as important,” he said.

“This discovery helps us better understand how snake species exist and survive in the world, and I hope that its fun name will help draw attention to the threat of extinction facing reptiles globally.”

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