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In December 2018, reports emerged online that a newly discovered species of limbless, worm-like amphibian which is blind and buries its head in the sand had been named after U.S. President Donald Trump. In what might have been mistaken for no more than an anti-Trump joke, the English building products company EnviroBuild published the following Facebook post on 18 December, complete with an edited photograph of the creature with Trump's distinctive hairstyle digitally added to it: The post was authentic, as were news reports that followed. On 8 December, EnviroBuild's co-founder Aidan Bell paid $25,000 for the right to name the amphibian at an auction hosted by the Rainforest Trust, a charity that acquires and manages threatened tropical rainforests and their endangered inhabitants. In a press release, EnviroBuild elaborated on the unflattering comparison between Dermophis donaldtrumpi and its namesake, accusing the U.S. president of lacking insight, ignoring scientific evidence, and engaging in nepotism: Bell noted that the naming of the species had not been formally completed yet and would still have to undergo peer review. Chris Redston, the executive director of Rainforest Trust UK, confirmed for us by email that the purchase of the naming rights had gone ahead at the 8 December auction.
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