Blind amphibian that buries its head in the sand named after Donald Trump

A blind amphibian has been discovered and given the name Dermophis donaldtrumpi. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you if you’re noticing something odd about the second half of its Latin name. If it looks like it might contain the words “Donald Trump” in it, you’re absolutely correct. That’s because a sustainable building materials company named it after the American president’s climate change denial.

The name was chosen by the boss of EnviroBuild, a sustainable building materials company, who paid $25,000 (£19,800) at an auction for the right. The small legless creature was found in Panama and EnviroBuild’s Aidan Bell said its ability to bury its head in the ground matched Donald Trump’s approach to global warming. (The Guardian)

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Considering the current occupant of the White House has gone on public record, multiple times, to not only deny that climate change exists — but to also literally call it a Chinese hoax — he is most definitely worthy of a little tongue-in-cheek ribbing from the scientific community. After all, he insults their work the most when he casts harebrained aspersions on solid science simply because he — and perhaps his base — don’t or choose not to understand. Hell, the man doesn’t even buy into the climate report his own administration put out last month.

Climate change is already harming Americans’ lives, from wildfires to floods, and will get worse, according to a US government report published in November. Trump’s response to the report was: “I don’t believe it.” (The Guardian)

Naming the amphibian after Trump wasn’t just good old fashioned trolling, though. The right to give the species its official name was part of an auction to raise funds to save the rain forest. There’s something extra fun about conservationism done in the name of the Orange One in our book.

The newly discovered creature is a caecilian and its naming rights were auctioned to raise money for the Rainforest Trust. The scientists who found the 10cm amphibian have agreed to use the name Dermophis donaldtrumpiwhen they officially publish the discovery in scientific literature. (The Guardian)

So what is it about the Dermophis donaldtrumpi that allowed Bell to make the connection between the creature and the new amphibian? The fact that it’s blind and burrows itself in the sand to hide from predators. Bell said that reminds him of Trump’s attitude toward climate change.

Bell said: “It is the perfect name. Caecilian is taken from the Latin caecus,meaning ‘blind’, perfectly mirroring the strategic vision President Trump has consistently shown towards climate change.” (The Guardian)

The Dermophis donaldtrumpi has a very personal reason to be invested on the Reality-TV President’s attitude toward climate change — its continued survival.

As an amphibian, the shiny animal is particularly susceptible to the impacts of global warming and is therefore in danger of becoming extinct as a result of its namesake’s climate policies, the Rainforest Trust said. (The Guardian)

Here’s hoping if they find a new species of spineless toad they name it after White Policy Adviser and new Hairclub for Men President Stephen Miller.

Writer/comedian James Schlarmann is the founder of The Political Garbage Chute and his work has been featured on The Huffington Post. You can follow James on Facebook and Instagram, but not Twitter because he has a potty mouth.