If all goes according to plan, cement and concrete maker Lafarge will continue turning a limestone hill in Malaysia into a quarry. It would be business as usual for Lafarge, but bad news for Charopa lafargei, a recently discovered snail that lives only on that hill. The gastropod's name is no coincidence. For the first time, taxonomists have named a species after the entity that could cause the creature's extinction.
Whether this guilt trip will work remains to be seen (Lafarge has said it will avoid certain areas of the hill), but there is something to be said for choosing the name of a species carefully. Research has shown that an animal's common name can affect whether people want to protect it. In a 2012 study, George Mason University researchers found that species with patriotic or cute names are more likely to inspire public support for their conservation. The team that described the snail hopes that the same principle will help persuade Lafarge to protect C. lafargei.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
What's in a Name?
Survey respondents deemed an animal with a positive name (green) more conservation-worthy than its negatively named self (red).
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
Thank you,
Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American
