Meet Bernie Sanders' new namesake: A spider from Cuba

September 26 at 9:00 AM

Excerpts:

Spintharus berniesandersi, named after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), lives in Cuba. It is small and lemon-yellow and barely a millimeter wide. On the spider's back is an ornate pattern halfway between a distorted smiley face and grimace.

Four University of Vermont undergraduates, with the guidance of biologist Ingi Agnarsson, identified Spintharus berniesandersi.

“We don't mean this to be a political paper. We decided to honor the people who we think are doing the right thing,” Agnarsson, a spider expert at the University of Vermont, told The Washington Post. In picking taxonomic names, Agnarsson said, it was the job of scientists to recognize leaders who drew attention to environmental and social issues.

“We all have tremendous respect for Bernie. He presents a feeling of hope,” said Lily Sargeant, one of the undergraduates who worked on the project, in a news release.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/09/26/meet-bernie-sanderss-new-namesake-a-spider-from-cuba/?utm_term=.cd7b66595ebe