A team of research scientists from Anglia Ruskin University have discovered a new species of scorpion in Arizona. The official announcement of the new species, discovered in November 2016, has been published in the January edition of the journal Nature. After Arsenal’s New Year’s Day 2:0 win against Crystal Palace, featuring Olivier Giroud’s astonishing ‘scorpion’ goal, lead scientist Associate Professor of Zoology Lucien Sarti, has declared on Twitter that the scorpion—Latin name barbatos scorpionis (bearded scorpion)—is going to be popularly referred to as the ‘Giroud Scorpion.’
Sarti, an Arsenal fan, opened up to Tales: “I am a huge Arsenal fan as I came from Corsica to complete my research training at Imperial College London. At the time, Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ were tearing up the league and I fell in love with Arsenal. They became my team and I have been following them ever since.” Sarti went on to explain why his choice of Giroud as the popular name for the new species of scorpion he discovered was doubly apposite: “We had found this scorpion which was less than an inch long and light tan in colour, but with the distinctive feature of having a dark black patch under the chelicerae. I did not want it simply to be known as the ‘bearded scorpion,’ but I needed something memorable as an alternative. Giroud’s goal made perfect sense to me, as he has such a thick, luxurious beard, but he can also mimic a scorpion’s sting.”
Giroud was able to provide a short comment to Tales: “I am thrilled that a scorpion has been named after me. In life, I have always wanted my name to be remembered for the right reasons. In all honesty, I wanted either a ship, tall building or a scorpion to be named after me. I have kept scorpions since I was a young boy, and currently I have one called Dennis. During training and in the Crystal Palace game I was channeling my inner scorpion. Now I need to channel my inner building to perfect my ‘high rise’ kick. Hopefully then someone can name a building ‘Giroud House,’ a bit like ‘Nelson Mandela House’ in Only Fools and Horses. I love that show.”