I love the fact that the arrangement of four spikes at the end of a Stegosaurus’ tail is actually named after the late Thag Simmons.
Fitting he should “name” something scientific, when something scientific is named after him. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strigiphilus_garylarsoni
That’s so cool. A type of chewing louse found on owls. How specific.
I remember around the time when it happened. Larson was THRILLED.
‘Larson also reprints a letter from an entomologist proposing to name a newly discovered species of chewing lice after Larson, Strigiphilus garylarsoni. The scientist explains that he did this “to honor the enormous contribution that my colleagues and I feel you have made to biology through your cartoons.” The image of this insect also appears in the form of a geometric design on the inside front and back covers.’
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prehistory_of_The_Far_Side#
Thanks for the nostalgia trip!
I also love it when a rather limited media format like comic strips is so deep (I don’t know any other word) that it influences the real world like that. Another example:
I love xkcd! All comic artists/writers are talented, but it takes a special talent to say so much with so few images/words.
Beautiful anecdote. Larson really deserves the honour imo. Thank you.