Pokémon they are creatures inspired by animals, and now, in a twist of fate, some animals are earning Pokémon names.
Three new species of beetle were found in Australia, and the researchers responsible for their study decided to name them in honor of the trio of legendary birds of the first generation of pocket monsters.
The document, written by Dr. Darren Pollock and Ph.D. student Yun Hsiao, was published in The Canadian Entomologist in December 2020. Pollock reports on how they came up with the names in an interview on the Eastern New Mexico University, saying that Hsiao was a big fan of Pokémon and that he suggested the names due to the rarity of the beetles:
Yun said he was an aspiring Pokémon trainer when he was younger, and therefore, because of the rarity of specimens of the three new species, he suggested that we name them in honor of the three legendary Pokémon birds.
That’s how the three beetles below became Binburrum articuno, Binburrum moltres e Binburrum zapdos.
Pollock further hinted that we may have more beetles with Pokémon names:
We already have plans to describe more new species of this class that appeared after we finished the document, perhaps with more Pokémon names.
In January, Hsiao celebrated at Twiter, commenting on the choice of names due to their rarity.
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