A vampire squid that died more than 300 million years ago has been named after President Biden by a group of paleontologists who discovered the new species, The Guardian reported.
The fossilized vampire squid was originally unearthed in 1988 in Montana and then donated to the Royal Museum in Canada. According to The Guardian, it sat untouched in a drawer for years until a scientist decided to give it a more thorough inspection.
The Syllipsimopodi bideni fossil has been described as “incredibly rare,” and it seems to have been very well preserved, with the squid’s arms, small suckers and even an ink sac still preserved in the rock.
The researchers decided to name the fossilized sea creature after the president because they were “encouraged by his plans to address climate change and to fund scientific research,” The Guardian reported.
The squid is believed to have ventured across oceans about 328 million years ago and is also thought to be the oldest known ancestor of a group of species that includes vampire squids and octopi, called vampyropods.
Syllipsimopodi bideni is not the first species to be named after a president. Former President Obama had nine species in total named after him, while former President Trump had a moth and a wormlike creature named after him.