Quirky discoveries honour Mandela

NELSON Mandela will be remembered not only for his political role in South Africa, but also for the quirky things named after him – including a sea slug.

Marine biologists Angel Vlades and Terry Gosliner found the Mandelia micocornata in 1999, according to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory website.

On the SouthAfrica. Info website, the two are quoted as saying: “It is regarded as something of an honour to have a species of organism named after you.

“To have a genus named after you is even more of an honour because new genera are less often named than new species. However, an even greater honour is to have a family named after you because new families are rarely created.”

They said they named it after Mandela to honour him.

“This South African genus is named Mandelia to honour Nelson Mandela.”

In 2002, a species of spider, found near Cape Town, was named Singafrotypa mandela.

According to Wikipedia, Anelosimus nelsoni is another species of spider found in KwaZulu-Natal, and is named after the former statesman.

At the British Institute of Physics at Leeds University, there is a nuclear particle named the “Mandela Particle”.

South Africa also has a striking deep red Protea called Madiba.

Mandela’s Gold is a rare yellow crane flower plant that grows in France, the US, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

The Australopicus nelsonmandelai is a woodpecker species French and German scientists found at the Langebaanweg fossil site.

According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, there are also numerous racehorses named after the man.

The list goes on. – Sapa