Prof Charles Messing from the Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center is auctioning off the naming rights on eBay to a new species of sea lily he discovered at about 800 meters deep off the Bahamas.
Newly discovered species of sea lily. Image credit: Charles Messing.
As is customary in the scientific world, the expert in the specific field has the honor of naming a new species when it’s discovered.
While finding a new sea lily is rare, discovering new marine life isn’t rare for Prof Messing.
In fact, he has several discoveries named for him – from a crab to a small shrimp to a worm to another sea lily.
So, rather than taking the opportunity to name this new find, he knew there are people around the nation – and the world – who are looking to find just the right holiday gift, so he decided to auction off the naming rights on eBay.
The financial gift provided to Prof Messing via this auction will be used to support biodiversity research expeditions around the world, as well as graduate student research at NSU’s Oceanographic Center.
“I figured why not – it’s a great way for someone to create a lasting legacy while making a significant financial contribution that will help continue the work at NSU’s Oceanographic Center,” Prof Messing said.
“The name can reference the donor, a family member or loved one. This opportunity gives someone a real, concrete way to support marine biology research – there’s so much more we need to learn about our oceans and we couldn’t do it without the support of our community, and it’s a pretty cool gift.”
Almost every year, scientists at NSU’s Oceanographic Center discover new species of marine life, but this is something unique.
“And, despite its name and plantlike appearance,” Prof Messing said, “it’s really an animal, related to sea stars and sea urchins.”
The final name of this new sea lily species will be published in a scientific journal as part of the permanent record of biodiversity.
Only four specimens have been collected; they will be deposited into permanent museum collections, such as the National Museum of Natural History.
Usually, naming rights for creatures such as beetles, butterflies or orchids range from about 3,000 to 5,000 USD each.
However, those species number in the tens of thousands, while the scientific community only knows of about 110 species of sea lilies throughout the world’s oceans, all of which are restricted to deep waters.
Given the rarity of this marine animal, Prof Messing has set the opening bid on this charitable auction at 4,000 USD, but he is confident the final amount will be much higher.
Anyone who is interested can find the online auction here. The auction ends December 22, 2014.
