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Greta Thunberg on October 27th in Montreal, Canada, during a protest against climate change. AFP / Minas Panagiotakis

A tiny honey beetle was named after the activist Greta Thunberg by the entomologist who discovered its existence. A tribute to the young Swedish girl.

It is true that the antennas of this little beetle could be reminiscent of Greta Thunberg's braids, but that is not the reason that led Michael Darby, entomologist at the Natural Science Museum in London to name his discovery of the name of the young Swedish. " I chose this name because I am impressed by the young activist's work and I wanted to pay tribute to her outstanding contribution to environmental issues ," he said.

This new species of beetle has been named in honor of the Swedish Greta Thunberg. Michael DARBY / Pemberley Books / AFP

The head of the museum's beetle collection felt that it was perfectly normal for the newly discovered small insect to be named after a person struggling to defend the natural world and protect vulnerable species.

The six-legged namesake of activist Greta Thunberg is now officially called "Nelloptodes Gretae". But the small beetle, discovered in Kenya, is less than a millimeter long.