New Snake Species Named After A Movie Star’s Mom
Leonardo DiCaprio got the privilege of naming a newly discovered snake, which he named in honor of his mother.
Today in GFR reptile news, we’re blending our specialty of Hollywood celebrity with our love for the great outdoors and the animals that inhabit it. According to Yahoo! News, Leonardo DiCaprio was recently given the honor of naming a snake, with the actor deciding to name it Simon irmelindicaprioae after his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken. The Titanic star was given the opportunity of a lifetime after a new species was discovered slithering around the Panamanian jungle.
While at first Leonardo DiCaprio may seem like an odd choice to receive the chance to name a new snake species, the actor is well known for his support in creating a better world through environmentalism. An avid believer in climate change and the effects that it has on the current world environment, DiCaprio is actually a shoo-in for this prestigious honor. Add in the fact that he’s one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood, with his name constantly in the headlines for new projects, and it makes total sense as to why DiCaprio was the man of the hour.
As for Leonardo DiCaprio’s name for the snail-eating snake, it shouldn’t shock many who know the entertainer that he chose his big moment to pay homage to his number one supporter — his mother. While DiCaprio is known for having a slew of younger girlfriends, he very rarely brings the women that he’s dating to his major red carpet events, instead oftentimes appearing with his mother on his arm. The duo has a very close relationship, with the award-winning star continuously showering praise and adoration onto his mom for helping him jump-start his career when he was just a child.
Leonardo DiCaprio was one of three honorees in attendance at the snake naming event. Also included was billionaire investor and conservationist Brian Sheth, who named another snail-eating snake after his daughter, as well as former Nature and Culture International board member David Welborn, who had a snake named after himself. As one could expect, all of the reptiles come from deep sections of the rainforest where they live as threatened species, while the destruction of their homes rages on.
Outside of Leonardo DiCaprio’s time naming snakes, the actor hasn’t been overly busy where we’re most used to seeing him — on the big screen. The last time he graced us with his presence was back in 2021 in Adam McKay’s satirical climate change feature, Don’t Look Up. But, the actor will be coming back in a major way soon via Martin Scorsese’s Western crime drama, Killers of the Flower Moon.
Behind the scenes, Leonardo DiCaprio has kept himself occupied by producing a massive amount of documentary projects centered around wildlife — just nothing about snakes quite yet. He’s teamed up with big names on productions like The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52, Before the Flood, and Ivory Game — just to name a few. With the activist and actor’s latest honor and contribution to the future of Earth, we’re sure his mother is beaming with pride at all her beloved son has been able to accomplish both on and off the screen.
