If you can cough up enough cash, Purdue University will let you name a turtle or bat species. Harrison Ford did it and named a butterfly “Georgia†after his daughter. Steven Colbert groused enough that he got a species named after him.
Trendhunteraraptor: Insatiable hunter/gatherer of the wily trends. Especially diligent and focused species known to lurk in the deep web.
The money Purdue University raises will support future research into new species.
Implications - The list of bidders has been an eclectic one, including amongst others: a gambling site that named a Bolivian monkey and Stephen Colbert giving a species his own name. Colbert came out on top getting to use his humorous ways to name the species Stephen Colbert.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Species Naming
- Allowing individuals or organizations to name new species as means for funding research, creating potential for new revenue streams for institutions.
- Celebrities and Species Naming
- Creating buzz and attention for species conservation efforts by allowing celebrities to name new species after themselves or loved ones.
- Crowdfunding Conservation Research
- Offering people the opportunity to name a new species as a way to raise money for conservation research is a creative and innovative form of crowdfunding.
Where This Applies
- Conservation
- Adding a naming component to conservation efforts can generate public interest and funding for research and conservation initiatives.
- Higher Education
- Institutions can use creative fundraising opportunities like species naming to generate revenue streams for research and foster community engagement.
- Tourism
- Naming new species can become a tourist attraction, with individuals and organizations bidding on the opportunity to name a new species and possibly visit the location of the new species in the future.
