Johnny Cash gets his own species of black tarantula
The Man In Black now has a species of tarantula named in his honor.
Biologists have discovered 14 new types of U.S. tarantula, including Aphonopelma johnnycashi, a black arachnid named after the late country legend Johnny Cash because it makes its home near Folsom Prison, California.
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The discoveries followed a years-long study involving a three-person team, the results of which are published in the journey ZooKeys.
Aphonopelma johnnycashi was found roaming the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada mountains and the areas surrounding Folsom Prison, explains Florida Museum of Natural History's Chris Hamilton, who led the team.
"It's a perfect name," Hamilton tells the BBC.
%shareLinks-quote="It fits the spider -- it's found around Folsom and the males are predominantly all black, so it fits his image. I have a Johnny Cash tattoo so I was very happy that it worked out that way." type="quote" author="Chris Hamilton" authordesc="Florida Museum of Natural History" isquoteoftheday="false"%
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Cash staged a famous concert for inmates of Folsom State Prison on Jan. 13, 1968. That breakthrough performance became a popular live album, and it contained one of his signature songs, "Folsom Prison Blues". Cash died in 2003, aged 71.
Check out Johnny Cash's eight-legged namesake here.
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