Chewbacca may not have gotten a medal for helping to destroy the Death Star, but now at least he has a species named after him. A new species of deep-sea coral, with shiny branches that flow downward like hair, has been dubbed Iridogorgia chewbacca, due to its resemblance to the Wookiee.
In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa, two newly discovered species of coral are identified, one of which is I. chewbacca. The coral has been spotted off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Molokai and in the Mariana Trench, and the new study confirms that it is a new species.
University of Hawaii professor emeritus Les Watling collaborated with colleagues in China and co-authored the study.
"Seeing this coral for the first time was unforgettable," Watling said. "Its long, flexible branches and shape immediately reminded me of Chewbacca. Even after years of deep-sea work, discoveries like this still make me stop and take notice."
Like all corals, I. chewbacca is not a single organism but rather a colony of individual tiny animals – polyps. The polyps divide and form hundreds or thousands more clones, each of which secretes a substance that forms a hard skeleton. Corals worldwide are under threat from human activity, and dozens of species are listed as threatened or endangered.
Note for nerds: The medal Chewie gets in The Rise of Skywalker is Han's and does not count.
Previously:
• This marine life BREAKING NEWS is the only news I can currently handle
• Under the sea: Life on a lost shipping container
• The sea is pretty dangerous for baby jellyfish
