A creature that lived in the Earth’s oceans 500 million years ago and whose fossil was recently discovered has been named after former President Obama, USA Today reported. The creature was given the scientific name Obamus coronatus in honor of the president. The prehistoric animal was disc-shaped and was only about half an inch long. It had raised spiral grooves on its surface and spent its whole life embedded on the ocean floor, scientists from the University of California-Riverside said. ADVERTISEMENT Obamus coronatus — a species that no longer exists — was one of the earliest creatures to exist on Earth. It was discovered in a well-preserved fossil bed in a mountain range in southern Australia, USA Today reported. “I’ve been working in this region for 30 years, and I’ve never seen such a beautifully preserved bed with so many high quality and rare specimens, including Obamus and Attenborites,” said paleontologist Mary Droser of the University of California-Riverside, referring to a second newly-discovered creature named after Sir David Attenborough, according to USA Today. Droser was the lead author of two new studies about the discoveries. The once soft-bodied animal could be seen in the sandstone on the fossil bed.<doc-sep>Over 500 million years ago, deep in the dark, vast ocean, lived a creature that would one day have a connection to a 21st century American president. Researchers at University of California, Riverside discovered two new prehistoric organisms, and named one Obamus coronatus, in honor of President Obama. The Latin "Obamus" refers to the president's last name, and "coronauts" means "crowned." The creature lived on the ocean floor its entire life, and looked more like a plant. It is visible now as a fossil, having been been preserved for hundreds of millions of years. The Obamus coronatus was small -- about 1/2 inch long -- and had spiral grooves on its surface. Researchers say they named the creature after Obama to honor his passion for science. The other newly discovered creature was named Attenborites janeae after Sir David Attenborough, the English naturalist and broadcaster. Researchers honored Attenborough for his support of paleontology. This creature is "less than a centimeter across, was adorned with internal grooves and ridges giving it a raisin-like appearance," the researchers say. Both specimens were found in South Australia's Flinders Ranges region, in a well-preserved fossil bed which researchers have dubbed "Alice's Restaurant Bed," a tribute to the Arlo Guthrie song and its lyric, "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant." "I've been working in this region for 30 years, and I've never seen such a beautifully preserved bed with so many high quality and rare specimens, including Obamus and Attenborites," paleontologist Mary Droser said in a statement. Droser is the lead author of two studies about these discoveries which are being published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, or AJES. "We have been seeing evidence for these animals for quite a long time," Droser said, "but it took us a while to verify that they are animals within their own rights and not part of another animal." She said South Australia is hoping to get the area where the fossils were found designated as a World Heritage Site to reflect its unique history and the importance of protecting it. It was a long time coming, but Obamus coronatus finally got discovered and received a name -- and a presidential one at that.<doc-sep>Ethan Miller/Getty Images One of the earliest complex lifeforms to exist on Earth has been named in honor of Barack Obama, continuing a strong love affair between scientists and the former president of the United States. The ancient, disc-shaped animal has been dubbed Obamus coronatus and lived some 550 million years ago. While they may not be much to look at now, flattened and time-beaten, the Ediacaran organisms were about half an inch long, had a soft body and spent their entire lives in one spot, stuck to the ancient ocean floor. The discovery, by researchers at the University of California-Riverside and the South Australia Museum, took place in a newly excavated fossil bed located in South Australia's Flinders Ranges that has been dubbed "Alice's Restaurant Bed", borrowing a lyric from the Arlo Guthrie song that says "you can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant." University of California-Riverside Professor of paleontology Mary Droser, who led the research, told the Washington Post that the Obama moniker was bestowed upon the creature because it reminded researchers of an ear, something that avid Obama watchers and cartoonists will know was one of the former president's more obvious characteristics. Alice's Restaurant Bed is teeming with prehistoric fossils from the Ediacaran Biota, a group of soft-bodied animals representing some of the earliest lifeforms on Earth. Scientists are able to visualize their traits and physiology in the Ranges due to their remarkable preservation in fine-grain sandstone. Not only was Obama honored, but a second ocean floor dweller discovered in the same bed was named after famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough. That creature -- Attenborites janeae -- was even smaller, less than a centimeter across and shaped like an egg, complete "with ridges and grooves giving it a raisin-like appearance." Speaking on the discovery, Droser said "I've never seen such a beautifully preserved bed with so many high quality and rare specimens, including Obamus and Attenborites." Droser also commented on the importance of protecting the Flinders Ranges region, highlighting how these discoveries may help in the effort to obtain World Heritage Site status. In 2017, scientist Jim Gehling explained how the Ranges were full of prehistoric material, such as fossils, but that "most of the sites have not been discovered, let alone studied." There has been a certain fascination with crowning newly-discovered creatures with the former president's name -- this being the 13th time he has received such an honour, the most of any US president. In 2017, some smiley-faced spiders received the Obama name. The year before, a blood fluke that parasitizes turtles was granted the honour. A diving beetle, birds and bees also bear his name. For always being front of mind when scientists discover new animals, we should all say thanks, Obama. Rebooting the Reef: CNET dives deep into how tech can help save Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Blockchain Decoded: CNET looks at the tech powering bitcoin -- and soon, too, a myriad of services that will change your life.<doc-sep>
It lived an uneventful life in Earth's oceans 500 million years ago, but now this newly discovered creature has an unusual honor: It's been given the scientific name Obamus coronatus, a name that honors President Barack Obama's passion for science. ("Coronatus" means "crowned.") The tiny, disc-shaped animal was about a 1/2 inch long, with raised spiral grooves on its surface. It spent its entire life embedded on the ocean floor, likely never moving, according to scientists from the University of California-Riverside. A second small animal, an egg-shaped critter that may have looked like a raisin, was also discovered. It was given the name Attenborites janeae, after the English naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, who was known for his science advocacy and support of paleontology. (Janeae is a nod to Jane Fargher, a co-owner of the property where the fossils were discovered.) Both are among the earliest animals to exist on Earth. They were discovered in a remarkably well-preserved fossil bed in a southern Australia mountain range. “I’ve been working in this region for 30 years, and I’ve never seen such a beautifully preserved bed with so many high quality and rare specimens, including Obamus and Attenborites,” said paleontologist Mary Droser of the University of California-Riverside, the lead author of two new studies about the discoveries. The researchers dubbed the fossil bed “Alice’s Restaurant Bed,” a tribute to the Arlo Guthrie song and its lyric, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.” The soft-bodied animals were visible as fossils cast in sandstone that had been preserved for hundreds of millions of years. The species no longer exists. “The two genera that we identified are a new body plan, unlike anything else that has been described,” Droser said. “We have been seeing evidence for these animals for quite a long time, but it took us a while to verify that they are animals within their own rights and not part of another animal.” The studies appear in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences. Other authors include Pete Dzaugis and Scott Evans, both from the University of California – Riverside.