A 505 million years old fossil of an extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws has been named Kooteninchela deppim after actor Johnny Depp for his role in the 1990 movie, "Edward Scissorhands"

There's no doubt that Johnny Depp is a brilliant actor and has earned a name for himself that will surely be mentioned in the annals of Hollywood. Now, the actor has also been immortalized in the world of science after scientists named a 505 million year old fossil of an extinct creature with "scissor hand-like" claws after the legendary actor because of his role in the 1990 movie "Edward Scissorhands."

Kooteninchela deppim is the name given to the fossil of an extinct creature and is now being studied by scientists to understand more about life on Earth during the Cambrian period when nearly all modern animal types emerged.

"When I first saw the pair of isolated claws in the fossil records of this species I could not help but think of Edward Scissorhands. Even the genus name, Kootenichela, includes the reference to this film as 'chela' is Latin for claws or scissors. In truth, I am also a bit of a Depp fan and so what better way to honour the man than to immortalise him as an ancient creature that once roamed the sea?" said David Legg, who carried out the research as part of his PhD in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College, London, in a statement.

According to the researchers, the extinct creature was a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions and may have lived in very shallow seas with sea temperatures being much higher than they are today. Researchers also predict that these creatures may have lived in a similar environment with sponges like the coral reef, though the coral reef may not have existed during the times these creatures lived.

Their "scissor hand-like" claws suggest they were hunters and used these spikes to catch their prey. Researchers also suggest Kooteninchela deppim was 4 cms long with an elongated trunk for a body and millipede-like legs, which it used to scuttle along the sea floor with the occasional short swim. It also had large eyes with many lenses like those of a fly. These were positioned on top of movable stalks called peduncles to help it more easily search for food and look out for predators.

David Legg adds: "Just imagine it: the prawns covered in mayonnaise in your sandwich, the spider climbing up your wall and even the fly that has been banging into your window and annoyingly flying into your face are all descendants of Kooteninchela deppi. Current estimates indicate that there are more than one million known insects and potentially 10 million more yet to be categorised, which potentially means that Kooteninchela Deppi has a huge family tree."