What do Dick Cheney, Lady Gaga, Bob Marley, and Hugh Hefner all have in common?
They've all been lucky enough to have a newly discovered species named after them.
From colorful fish to rabbits to innocuous wasps, here's a small sample of the animal kingdom's celebrity-dubbed denizens.
Lady Gaga the parasitoid wasp
Scientists in Thailand have dubbed a newly discovered species of parasitoid wasp (similar to the one pictured here) Aleiodes gaga, in honor of Lady Gaga. While the tribute's motivations aren't immediately clear, some suspect the researchers are just hijacking Mother Monster's popularity to attract attention to an innovative DNA barcoding technique used to validate the discovery of this wasp.
Hugh Hefner the bunny
Everyone recognizes the bunny icon made infamous by Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire, but few know that an endangered marshland rabbit (similar to our pal here) was named after the indefatigable ladies man. Hef's organization has donated charitably to researchers who are looking to ensure the survival of Sylvilagus palustri hefneri, once abundant in the southeastern United States.
Sting the tree frog
In the '90s, a species of tree frog discovered in northern Columbia, Dendropsophus stingi (similar to the variety seen here), was named after the Police frontman for his commitment to rainforest preservation. The Rainforest Fund was founded in 1989 by the "Roxanne" crooner and his wife, Trudie Styler, after they witnessed the destruction of the Amazon firsthand.
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