Prehistoric swamp creature with 'luscious lips' named after Mick Jagger
Photo courtesy: Flickr Creative Commons/xiquinhosilva
Digital Reporter
Thursday, September 11, 2014, 5:16 PM - A swamp-dwelling creature that lived 19 million years ago in modern-day Egypt has been named after Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger because of the 'large, sensitive lips' it had.
Jaggermeryx fossil (courtesy: Wake Forest University)
“I like the Rolling Stones,” said Ellen Miller, an associate professor of anthropology at Wake Forest University and lead author in the paper announcing the discovery.
“I’m a huge Stones fan.”
Miller dubbed the creature Jaggermeryx naida, or 'Jagger’s water nymph'.
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It was discovered in a remote area of the Egyptian dessert that was once covered by marsh and swamps. Jaw fragments found at the site suggest the creature was the size of a deer and looked like a cross between a pig and a hippo.
“We imagine its lifestyle was like that of a water deer, standing in water and foraging for plants along the river bank,” Miller said.
While a colleague suggested naming the fossil after actress Angelina Jolie - who is also known for her lips - naming the creature after Jagger was a "no brainer" for Miller, according to Wake Forest University.
