New Species Of Ancient Crab Discovered, Named After Legendary Nick Saban

dailycaller.com

Nick Saban may no longer be the head coach of the University of Alabama football program, but his influence continues to be felt at the school.

However, this time around it’s not anything related to football. Rather, it involves a new species of ancient crab.

The faculty at the University of Alabama has honored Saban following archaeologists employed by the school discovering an ancient crab species, naming it after the coach who won six national championships at the helm of the Crimson Tide. (RELATED: Gold And Silver Coins Worth $1 Million Discovered From 1700s Florida Shipwreck)

“A team led by University of Alabama researchers have discovered several ancient crab and shrimp fossils from central Alabama, including one they have named after legendary football coach Nick Saban,” read a press release from the college.

“The crab’s official name is Costacopluma nicksabani, but it can be called the Saban crab, for short.”

The Saban crab was found in Lowndes County, Alabama, and it’s believed that the species existed around 48-87 million years ago.

The ancient crab species is also believed to have survived the meteorite strike on Earth that triggered the extinction of dinosaurs nearly 66 million years ago.

“The species name not only honors Nick Saban because he famously won six national and nine SEC championships with the Crimson Tide from 2007-2023, but his dedication to Nick’s Kids Foundation continues to have a tremendously positive impact for children in Alabama and beyond,” said the study’s lead author Adiël Klompmaker in a press release.

Out of around 200 different specimens found, the Costacopluma nicksabani was the most common.

“The decapod crustacean fauna is quite remarkable and contains, in addition to the Saban crab, seven other species, including another new crab species, two other crabs, a hermit crab  and three burrowing shrimps,” added Klompmaker.