A newly discovered prehistoric snake star is named after the Dutch metal singer Floor Jansen of the band Nightwish, confirmed by researchers of the natural history museums of Maastricht and Luxembourg. The Ophiomitrella floorae lived during the cretaceous period in what is now the Netherlands.
Luxembourg researcher Ben Thuy and his colleague from Maastricht John Jagt are both fans of metal music and in particular of Jansen's music. "By combining our passions with our work, we hope to interest more people in this profession".
"Only a description of such a fossil is not very interesting. But if you can link it to music, for example, it becomes a lot more fun", explains the paleontologist.
