Hobbit shrimp???

I daresay the shade of J. R. R. Tolkien is laughing at this news.

A student at the Netherlands’ Leiden University named Werner de Gier recently [discovered] ... a pair of new shrimp species during a research project for his bachelor’s degree. One of the species was unique in that it had hairy feet and not one to let such an opportunity slip by, de Gier and his supervisor, Charles H. J. M. Fransen, decided to honor one very special hobbit.

The shrimp’s official scientific name is Odontonia Bagginsi, which as you might have guessed is a nod to one Bilbo Baggins. Now, I don’t want to dive too deep into Tolkien lore here, but it’s well known that hobbits have hairy feet, so really the Baggins name could apply to either Bilbo or Frodo…or perhaps others in the Baggins lineage that escape my memory. Nevertheless, the researchers are quite adamant that Bilbo is the one getting honored here, and who am I to argue?

There's more at the link.

Shrimps with hairy feet.  Who'da thunk it?  Next you'll be telling me they were found on an underwater feature called the Shire Reef!  Would they be served with Rohirrim Remoulade?




Peter