Edward Snowden doesn’t have many fans in the US government, but he certainly has one in the research community.

A German researcher named Christian Lukhaup discovered a new species of crayfish (crawdad, crawfish). It lives in freshwater tributary creeks to the Oinsok River, Sawiat District in the central part of the Kepala Burung Peninsula in West Papau, Indonesia.

It’s a cool-lookin little guy named Cherax snowden.

Yes, Lukhaup named the crayfish after Snowden because he’s a big, big fan.

“The new species is named after the american freedom fighter Edward Joseph Snowden. He is honored due to of his extraordinary achievements in defense of justice, and freedom. The name is used as a noun in apposition,” says the researcher when describing the animals’ etymology.

He elaborated on his love for Snowden to the Washington Post:

“After describing a couple new species, I thought about naming one after Edward Snowden because he really impressed me,” Lukhaup, an independent researcher, told The Post. “We have so many species named after other famous people who probably don’t do so much for humanity. I wanted to show support for Edward Snowden. I think what he did is something very special.”

Image via Zookeys

One wonders what’s cooler to the American living in exile – having a species named after him or getting his own Oliver Stone movie. I bet begin able to come home would be the coolest thing of them all, but that ain’t happening anytime soon.