An ancient enormous crocodilian has been named Anthracosuchus balrogus after Gandalf’s nemesis in Lord of the Rings.
What’s more, the 16-foot, 900-lb. croc was a neighbor of the 58-foot-long snake Titanoboa when they both roamed the waters of the Earth 60 million years ago.
And were they friendly neighbors?
Reporters asked the associate curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History.
“Titanoboa was the largest predator around and would have tried to eat anything it could get its mouth on,” Bloch said.
That being the answer, I’m sure sf fans agree it was best delivered by a fellow surnamed Bloch….
[Thanks to Steven H Silver for the story.]
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There are several dozen genera and species of plants and animals named after Tolkien or his characters. There is a list on the website “Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature” by Mark Isaak , which I recommend. The URL is http://www.curioustaxonomy.net/etym/fiction.html I might add that this page also lists other fictional characters that have genera and species named after them.