Johnny Depp lands fossil honour

Johnny Depp has had an extinct sea creature named in his honor.

British scientist David Legg, from Imperial College London, recently discovered the 505 million-year-old fossil, a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions which had scissor-like claws, and decided to call it Kooteninchela deppi after drawing inspiration from the actor's classic movie Edward Scissorhands.

He explains, "When I first saw the pair of isolated claws in the fossil records of this species, I could not help but think of Edward Scissorhands. Even the genus name, Kootenichela, includes the reference to this film, as 'chela' is Latin for claws or scissors.

"In truth, I am also a bit of a Depp fan and so what better way to honor the man than to immortalise him as an ancient creature that once roamed the sea?"