Obama Now Has a Prehistoric Lizard Named After Him
In one of the most bizarre namesake ideas ever, president Barack Obama can now proudly tell his children that he has a prehistoric lizard named after him. The aforementioned lizard is called "The Obamadon" or scientifically speaking 'Obamadon gracilis'. We kid you not. Try saying that name five times fast!
While there's no political significance to the fact that America's current president can now tell the haters that he has a dinosaur named after him and they don't, the real reason for the namesake is pretty funny. Due to the fact that the lizard had tall and straight-looking teeth and President Obama is apparently a role model for good oral hygiene, they decided to name the animal after him. Guess even paleontologists have a sense of humor, too!
Sadly though, the presidential lizard was ill-fated. According to a new study, the horrific asteroid event that wiped out the dinosaurs also had a larger effect on lizards like the Obamadon and snakes than previously thought. The cataclysmic event basically took out an entire eco-system, with 83% of lizard and snake species getting killed off. The larger animals died off far quicker, and the only ones who seemed to survive were no bigger than one pound.
And yes, dinosaur geeks, this included the quiet, insect-loving Obamadon too. As a member of the Polyglyphanodontia branch of lizards, the Obamadon never stood a chance against a ginormous asteroid from space smashing into the Earth. Here's hoping our president fares far better in the political sphere than his prehistoric lizard namesake.