Donald Trump may or may not be flattered by this latest scientific discovery. On Jan. 18, scientists announced that a new species of moth will be named after the controversial president-elect [1]. The reason? White and yellow scales on the moth's head that resemble Trump's hair.
This new moth species, Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, is named after Donald Trump to bring attention to protecting fragile habitats in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/sV2dWqxafZ [2]
— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 17, 2017 [3]
According to The Sacramento Bee, these Trump-esque insects are found in areas of Southern California, where undiscovered species are most at risk of becoming extinct due to rapid urban growth. In addition to the witty — and timely — nod to the president-elect's famous hair, evolutionary biologist Vazrick Nazari said the most important reason the moth will be called Neopalpa donaldtrumpi is to raise awareness of undiscovered species living in those fragile habitats.
Another fun fact: the Trump moth has "genitalia comparatively smaller [4]" than other similar species. Do with that what you will. In the meantime, we're interested to see whether the soon-to-be-president addresses this new discovery in one of his signature tweets.
