'The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus Has A Shark Named After Him

For many actors on TV, earning an Emmy or Golden Globe might be the pinnacle of your career, but [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

For many actors on TV, earning an Emmy or Golden Globe might be the pinnacle of your career, but for The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, it doesn't top having a shark named after you. The actor recently revealed to Jimmy Kimmel how he learned about a shark earning his namesake.

"We were shooting Ride, the motorcycle show in Coney Island," Reedus recalled. "We're going around the boardwalk and all that and these girls ran over and ask, 'Can we borrow you to show you something?' The producers said, 'No, no, no, we don't have time.'"

The actor's curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't help but try to get more information from the girls.

"I asked, 'What is it?' And they say, 'We named a shark after you,'" Reedus revealed.

When you hear that a shark has been named after you, you must immediately see this shark, with Reedus recounting the experience of meeting the shark named in his honor.

"So there's a shark named 'Daryl Dixon' at the Coney Island aquarium," Reedus confirmed.

Fans of The Walking Dead might not immediately think of a shark when thinking about Reedus' character on the AMC series, but the actor pointed out that the shark's apparent tenacity and perseverance earned itself the named.

"He's got slashes all over his face and he's got one tooth," Reedus shared. "He looks like he's been through hell and back and I was so proud of that moment."

Luckily for the shark, while it may have appeared to only have one tooth, they will go through thousands of teeth in their lifetime, as there's no such thing as dentists in the ocean. Instead, teeth regularly break and fall off, with rows of teeth that allow a new tooth to take its place.

Kimmel asked the actor what species of shark it was, which Reedus recalled as a "tiger shark." In fact, the species is instead a sand tiger shark, the only sharks at the New York Aquarium. This species is known for the teeth that protrude out of its mouth, which might have been why the actor thought the shark didn't have many teeth, only seeing the ones that stuck out.

Regardless of what species it is or how many teeth it has, Reedus made sure to point out, "It's a real badass shark."

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

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