A Newly Discovered Crab Has Been Named After Two Harry Potter Characters!

In 1998, an enthusiastic 'hero collector' named Harry Conley found a new species of crab in the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, before the crab could be studied by others or any work could be published on the crab, Conley passed away, and the crab was forgotten. Now, 19 years after its discovery (ironic, eh, Potter fans? ), the crab has been studied and named after two beloved characters from the Harry Potter franchise.

This little crab likes to hide from the sunlight, resulting in its pale white and yellow coloring (remind you of any waxy-faced professors?).

Its most recent discoverer, biologist Jose Mendoza, said he wanted to honor both Conley and Harry Potter when naming it, so it was very convenient that Conley happened to share a first name with Potter, and he chose severus because Severus Snape kept Dumbledore's great secret for many years, just as this little crab remained a secret for many years.

You can read more about the Harryplax severus crab on ZooKeys, in which the study detailing it was first published. But now, what we want to know is...

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