As reported by The BBC, scientists have discovered a new species of black tarantula that can be found near California’s Folsom Prison, so, naturally, they decided to name it after a guy who spent a whole day there in the ‘60s: Johnny Cash. The spider is called Aphonopelma johnnycashi, which is fancy science-talk for “this spider is named after Johnny Cash.” In addition to being found near a place that Cash wrote a song about, the male spiders of the species are almost entirely black, which neatly lines up with Cash’s “Man In Black” persona. There’s no word if the spiders choose to be black in order to show support for the poor and the beaten down, living in the hopeless, hungry side of town, though, or whether it’s for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, but is there because he’s a victim of the times. The spiders are also known for having a deep, baritone voice and often begin their concerts by saying, “Hello, I’m Aphonopelma johnnycashi” before tearing into “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Now, this is where we would add a photo of Aphonopelma johnnycashi so you can put a little face to that name, but spiders (and tarantulas) are creepy as hell and we don’t want to have to look at one long enough to find and embed a photo. If you’re really curious, just look at that picture of Johnny Cash and pretend he’s a lot hairier and has way more legs.