Blind amphibian that buries its head in the sand to be officially named after Donald Trump

A newly-discovered blind amphibian will be officially named after Donald Trump in recognition of the president’s climate change denial.

The name ‘Dermophis donaldtrumpi’ was chosen by the boss of a sustainable building materials firm which paid thousands at an auction for the right.

The small creature is blind and has an ability to bury its head in the ground. These features EnviroBuild’s Aidan Bell said match the US leader’s opinion on climate change.

EnviroBuild bought the naming rights for the amphibian, which was found in Panama, for $25,000 (£19,740).

In a blog on the company’s website, Mr Bell said the creature hs rudimentary eyes which can only detect light or dark. Comparing this feature to Mr Trump, he wrote: “Capable of seeing the world only in black and white, Donald Trump has claimed that climate change is a hoax by the Chinese.”

The amphibians live almost entirely underground and are believed to have lost their limbs at least 60 million years ago as an adaptation to burrowing, according to Mr Bell.

Again comparing this to the president, he wrote: “Burrowing its head underground helps Donald Trump when avoiding scientific consensus on anthropomorphic climate change and also appointed several energy lobbyists to the Environment Agency, where their job is to regulate the energy industry.”

The 10cm creature is a caecilian and its naming rights were auctioned to raise money for the Rainforest Trust.

The scientists who found it have agreed to use the name Dermophis donaldtrumpi when they officially publish the discovery.