Serbian Sports Legend Djokovic Gets His Own Montenegrin Snail

Novak Djokovic on the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Melbourne Park.Photo: EPA-EFE/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

Two professors at the University of Montenegro, Jozef Grego and Vladimir Pesic, told the media that the snail species, now called Travunijana djokovici, was first identified in 2019 at a spring near the capital Podgorica.

Pesic said they wanted to pay a tribute to Djokovic's "energy" and uniqueness.

"To discover some of the world's rarest animals that inhabit the unique underground habitats of the Dinaric karst, to reach inaccessible cave and spring habitats and for the restless work during the processing of the collected material, you need Novak's energy and enthusiasm," Pesic explained the daily newspaper Vijesti.

"Travuniana is one of the rarest spices in the world; unique as Novak", he added.

The Serbian professional tennis player is one of the most successful athletes in the Balkans. He is currently ranked No 1 on the Association of Tennis Professionals list.

The Montenegrin scientists said the snail named after him is part of a diverse family of tiny mud snails known as Hydrobiidae, inhabiting fresh water in caves and subterranean habitats.

Adapted to living in underground streams, Travuniana djokovici has a white spiral shell-shaped into a cone, but where the snail comes from remains a mystery.

The experts said that subterranean ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to human-driven environmental changes, and are often overlooked during conservation efforts because they are so obscure.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the newly-discovered species as being vulnerable and it will be added to their Red...