New ant species named after Voldemort due to visual similarities
April 23, 2024 4:47 AM Subscribe
the resemblance is a stretch
and yeah... i wish Rowling references would go away forever now
posted by kokaku at 5:05 AM on April 23 [29 favorites]
and yeah... i wish Rowling references would go away forever now
posted by kokaku at 5:05 AM on April 23 [29 favorites]
I was expecting them to be ants without noses, but they're just pale.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 5:11 AM on April 23 [4 favorites]
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 5:11 AM on April 23 [4 favorites]
It almost feels like they wrote the press release at the same time they made up the name.
posted by biffa at 5:45 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 5:45 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
Whelp. I guess we'll have to find some other way to get kids excited about myrmecology.
Has any one tried ant pogs? Do kids still play with pogs?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:13 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
Has any one tried ant pogs? Do kids still play with pogs?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:13 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
They were going to call it the Rowling Ant, but the ants protested that they weren’t transphobic and actually enjoyed biting fascists rather than friending them on X.
The villainous ant falls under the Leptanilla genus — of which only about 60 are known to exist worldwide.
The way the paragraph breaks fall made me think briefly that there are only 60 ants in the genus rather than species, which is my error, but “villainous?” Maybe wicked-looking, but they are ants and, I am sure, perfectly nice as ants and ant activities, which includes killing and eating anything they can, because they are ants, and ants gotta eat! The journalists just love maligning insects for just doing their thing.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:00 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
The villainous ant falls under the Leptanilla genus — of which only about 60 are known to exist worldwide.
The way the paragraph breaks fall made me think briefly that there are only 60 ants in the genus rather than species, which is my error, but “villainous?” Maybe wicked-looking, but they are ants and, I am sure, perfectly nice as ants and ant activities, which includes killing and eating anything they can, because they are ants, and ants gotta eat! The journalists just love maligning insects for just doing their thing.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:00 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
A more appropriate classification would've been Leptanilla Soames.
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:05 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:05 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
The villainous ant falls under the Leptanilla genus — of which only about 60 are known to exist worldwide.
Scientists say that the newly discovered species, like all its close relatives, knows the difference between right and wrong and consistently chooses to do evil. Furthermore, in their press release, the biologists say the ant "likes to hurt others," and its innermost thoughts are "an affront to the goodness of God." They conclude by saying more research is required.
posted by Rinku at 7:32 AM on April 23 [10 favorites]
Scientists say that the newly discovered species, like all its close relatives, knows the difference between right and wrong and consistently chooses to do evil. Furthermore, in their press release, the biologists say the ant "likes to hurt others," and its innermost thoughts are "an affront to the goodness of God." They conclude by saying more research is required.
posted by Rinku at 7:32 AM on April 23 [10 favorites]
Leptanilla Ralphfiennesii
posted by jimfl at 8:04 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
posted by jimfl at 8:04 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
I keep wanting to bang my desk and say NEW ANT! NEW ANT! NEW ANT! NEW ANT! So I'm enthusiastic. I don't care what it's called.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:39 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:39 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
I keep wanting to bang my desk and say NEW ANT! NEW ANT! NEW ANT! NEW ANT! So I'm enthusiastic.And maybe lacking in new ants.
posted by pulposus at 8:50 AM on April 23 [8 favorites]
As it turns out there are a lot of fiction-inspired species names, so scientists certainly could choose inspiration from works by other authors. Good to know about Fiordichthys slartibartfasti and others!
posted by beryllium at 9:27 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
posted by beryllium at 9:27 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]
Adam would have sufficed.
posted by mykescipark at 9:31 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by mykescipark at 9:31 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
He said he noted that it looked very similar to Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of the character.
It's got more of an Alien xenomorph Cave Dwelling Edition vibe to me.
posted by y2karl at 9:31 AM on April 23
It's got more of an Alien xenomorph Cave Dwelling Edition vibe to me.
posted by y2karl at 9:31 AM on April 23
I was expecting them to be ants without noses, but they're just pale.
There goes my chance to make the joke "Ants with no noses? How do they smell?"
"Terrible!"
posted by dannyboybell at 9:33 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
There goes my chance to make the joke "Ants with no noses? How do they smell?"
"Terrible!"
posted by dannyboybell at 9:33 AM on April 23 [3 favorites]
Rick Scott? Is that you?
posted by moshjosh at 9:42 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by moshjosh at 9:42 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
General naming advice: If the best you can come up with is a Harry Potter reference then maybe let someone else name it.
posted by donio at 10:27 AM on April 23 [5 favorites]
posted by donio at 10:27 AM on April 23 [5 favorites]
I can’t believe we got this far without an anty-podes joke…
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:03 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:03 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
someone call Greg_Ace and tell him dannyboybell is stealing his best lines
posted by elkevelvet at 11:11 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by elkevelvet at 11:11 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]
The villainous ant falls under the Leptanilla genus — of which only about 60 are known to exist worldwide.
60 species. Not 61, not 153 -- 60. I just checked my 2002 Penguin Guide to Myrmecology. Says it right there on page 82.
Sorry snowflakes -- facts don't care about your feelings.
posted by PlusDistance at 11:15 AM on April 23
60 species. Not 61, not 153 -- 60. I just checked my 2002 Penguin Guide to Myrmecology. Says it right there on page 82.
Sorry snowflakes -- facts don't care about your feelings.
posted by PlusDistance at 11:15 AM on April 23
You may have seen the Thursday MST3K watches on the purple, but on Sundays our watches include an epic terrarium with multiple ant colonies and now all I want to know is how the Voldies would fare against the Dark Horde.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:26 AM on April 23
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:26 AM on April 23
I don't know many ant species, seanmpuckett . Is this markedly paler than most?
posted by doctornemo at 12:01 PM on April 23
posted by doctornemo at 12:01 PM on April 23
Please read another book.
posted by The Manwich Horror at 12:57 PM on April 23 [4 favorites]
posted by The Manwich Horror at 12:57 PM on April 23 [4 favorites]
Charlotte's Anthill ?
posted by y2karl at 4:11 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]
posted by y2karl at 4:11 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]
Really disappointed by all the thoughtless kneejerk takes in this thread.
...because given his capital-V Villain status and Rowling's penchant to project her current views onto longstanding characters retroactively, Voldemort is likely the greatest trans ally in the wizarding world! 🏳️⚧️🧙🏻
posted by Rhaomi at 12:20 PM on April 24 [1 favorite]
...because given his capital-V Villain status and Rowling's penchant to project her current views onto longstanding characters retroactively, Voldemort is likely the greatest trans ally in the wizarding world! 🏳️⚧️🧙🏻
posted by Rhaomi at 12:20 PM on April 24 [1 favorite]
« Older It’s peculiar, in the sense that words are... | If only your economy room included an escape pod Newer »
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:00 AM on April 23 [22 favorites]