Ancient Giant Turtle Species Named After Stephen King's Universe-Vomiting Character

In a fascinating intersection of paleontology and pop culture, scientists have discovered a giant species of prehistoric turtle and named it after a character from Stephen King's literary universe. The turtle, which lived during the Pleistocene period between 40,000 to 9,000 years ago, could have coexisted with early humans in the Amazon. This creature, with its massive shell estimated to be around 180 cm in length, substantially eclipses today's largest freshwater turtle both in legend and size.

The researchers were able to digitally recreate the turtle's jaw bone after it was found in a Brazilian gold mine. They named the species Peltocephalus Maturin, a nod to maturin, the universe-vomiting turtle from Stephen King's 'It' as well as one of the guardians in the 'Dark Tower' series. Interestingly, Maturin was originally referenced from Patrick O'Brian's novel where a character named a tortoise after Dr. Stephen Maturin. This new scientific attribution is a part of a larger trend where new species are often named after fictional characters, demonstrating the playful side of scientific discovery.

Why do scientists name new species after fictional characters?

Scientists often name new species after fictional characters to honor the cultural impact of these characters, to bring attention to their discoveries, and to add an element of fun to the scientific naming process.

Stephen King's 'It' is a horror novel published in 1986, which tells the story of seven children in Maine who are terrorized by an entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting them. 'It' had a successful movie adaptation in 2017. The 'Dark Tower' series, another work by King, spans eight books and combines elements from multiple genres including dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror. "The Dark Tower" was adapted into a film in 2017, but it did not fare well critically or commercially, much to the disappointment of fans of the series.