Lord of the Rings Inspires New Butterfly

BY LINNEA  8 MAY 2023

A newly discovered group of butterflies has been named after a notorious villain from the Lord of the Rings novels

Scientists at the Natural History Museum in London dubbed the Butterfly 

Saurona

Let’s explore this fascinating discovery and learn more about these captivating creatures.

Let's start with the reason..

The black rings on the wings of the butterfly bear a resemblance to the all-seeing eye that is synonymous with Sauron.

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But why give a beautiful butterfly such a name?

Well, the Natural History Museum in London hopes that the unique name will generate more interest in the species and promote further research.

Who decided this name?

The name of the genus was decided by Dr. Blanca Heurtas, curator of the butterflies at the museum.

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