Scientists Turn to the Internet to Name New Species

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Atrawling the internet to name something is always a bit risky. For every charming Boaty McBoatface submission, there’s always something a little more… unprintable. But scientists at the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA) must have felt a little safer asking popular science YouTuber Ze Frank’s 4.25 million followers to name a newly discovered species. (After all, Ze Frank already has one named after him.)

The species in question was a marine chiton, a mollusk that looks like a cross between a snail and a beetle, which feeds exclusively on sunken wood. It is equipped with an iron-reinforced radula for eating, a series of plates on its back, and a fleshy foot. Like all members of the genre Ferreiraellaits posterior part shelters worms which feed on its excrement. In other words, Ze Frank’s supporters had a lot of growing up to do. They submitted more than 8,000 names for SOSA scientists to choose from.

“We were overwhelmed by the response and the massive number of creative name suggestions! said SOSA co-president Julia Sigwart in a statement. One of the finalists for the new species name was Ferreiraella Ohmuin honor of a creature from Studio Ghibli. Another, Ferreiraella stellacadenstranslates to “shooting star chiton” for the shape of the tiny holes on the mollusk’s back.

Read more: “The challenge of deep-sea taxonomy”

So which name won?

Ultimately, the team decided to go with something that reflected the collaborative approach to naming. “The name we have chosen, Ferreiraella populitranslates to ‘of the people,’” Sigwart said.

You can watch Ze Frank announce the winner here.

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Main image: © Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance

• Jake Currie

  Published on February 6, 2026

  Jake Currie is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York.