Greta Thunberg rose to fame after addressing political world leaders around the world.
The National History Museum in London officially called the new species of beetle in the family Ptiliidae ‘Nelloptodes gretae’ to acknowledge the Swedish activist’s contribution to raising awareness of climate change.
Dr. Max, a senior curator in charge of Coleoptera at the NHM, said: “The name of this beetle is particularly poignant since it is likely that undiscovered species are being lost all the time, before scientists have even named them.
“So it is appropriate to name one of the newest discoveries after someone who has worked so hard to champion the natural world and protect vulnerable species.”
A Scientific Associate at the NHM, Michael Darby, said: “These beetles are so very small that my wife has described them as being like animated full stops.
“But actually many are a whole lot smaller than a full stop. I’d also like to stress that I’ve not named this species after Greta because it is small – it’s just that this is the group that I work on.”
Michael has already named many species of Ptiliidae after famous people, such as one for Sir David Attenborough.
“I suspect that this could very well be the first time a species has been named after Greta. I don’t know of any other beetle named after her, that’s for sure,” Michael added.
“I’m really a great fan of Greta. She is a great advocate for saving the planet and she is amazing at doing it, so I thought that this was a good opportunity to recognise that.”
Michael also said to MailOnline: “I chose this name as I am immensely impressed with the work of this young campaigner. And I wanted to acknowledge her outstanding contribution in raising awareness of environmental issues.”
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this with your friends and family!
Replaced!