Jurassic Crocodile Named After Lemmy
British scientists have named a newly discovered prehistoric crocodile after late Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.
The Lemmysuchus (translated as “Lemmy’s crocodile”) lived around 164 million years ago and was one of the largest coastal predators of the Middle Jurassic period, having a total length of 5.8 meters and a skull measuring a full meter on its own. It was dug up nearly a century ago in England, but incorrectly categorized as belonging to another family of crocodiles. It was recently reexamined and found to be a distinct animal, requiring its own classification and scientific name.
“Lemmysuchus obtusidens lived in shallow sea waters around the coast of land that would become modern-day Europe," the National History Museum said in a news release. "Its broad snout and large blunt teeth evolved for crushing shelled prey such as turtles, in contrast to close relatives that had longer snouts and thinner teeth for catching fish.”
It was given its title by museum curator Lorna Steel in memory of her hero. “Although Lemmy passed away in 2015, we’d like to think that he would have raised a glass to Lemmysuchus – one of the nastiest sea creatures to have ever inhabited the Earth,” she said.
The museum’s artist reconstruction “contains details relating to Motorhead, with the pattern on the head based on the band’s Snaggletooth logo,” the statement noted. You can see a picture of the Lemmysuchus obtusidens on the National History Museum's website.
Last year, Motorhead fans unsuccessfully lobbied to have one of four recently discovered chemical elements named “Lemmium.” Kilmister, who died at age 70 on Dec. 28, 2015, after a cancer battle, previously had a star named after him.
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