Posted by: Stephen Saban contact

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Malaysia

Just when you thought Bowie had run out of new ways to be cool, a German arachnologist named Peter Jaeger, who has discovered 200 species of spiders over the last 10 years, has named a new species of large yellow spider Heteropoda davidbowie. The arachnologist said he named the spider, seen so far only in Malaysia, after the rock star, seen currently almost nowhere, to emphasize the endangered status of many spiders. Which is not to say that both the spider and David Bowie (whose spider obsession peaked in 1972 with his The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album and again in 1987 with his "Glass Spider" tour) have limited time in the sun, but that naming endangered species after celebrities draws attention to the animal’s marginal and ephemeral status, and helps to make man aware of the adverse effect that over-development has on a fragile ecosystem. But here's hoping that spider doesn't have a "Glass David Bowie" tour anytime soon. (LimeWire; t/y Louis)



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