We don’t need to go back long, long ago or to a galaxy far, far away to find alien life– deep sea creatures found in the darkest depths of our own ocean are strange enough. From deep sea dandelions to spiraling deep sea coral, I’ve written about some bizarre deep sea life.
But it’s not every animal that can boast a claim to fame as great as this newly discovered “supergiant” isopod–scientists felt this deep sea bug’s front facing mugshot was so reminiscent of the original Star Wars villian’s famous helmet that they decided to name the newly discovered species after the Sith Lord himself, dubbing the critter Bathynomus vaderi.
A large marine crustacean named after Darth Vader lives in perpetual darkness and bears a striking resemblance to the Sith Lord’s helmet. https://t.co/dDVy0YHXLK
— New Scientist (@newscientist) January 25, 2025
This new species may also look familiar to avid gardeners who spot pill bugs (or roly-polys) scuttling about in your freshly tilled garden bed. That’s not a coincidence–both this deep sea critter and the humble roly-poly belong to the order Isopoda, and are just two of around 10,000 species of isopods, most of which live in the ocean.
Our newly-named friend isn’t only unique because of its Star Wars connection: it’s also unusually large for an isopod, coming in at around 30 cm (~11 inches) in length, earning it a spot in the ranks of “supergiant” isopods alongside only 11 other known species that can get that big. This nearly-foot-long specimen was found in the South China Sea, near Vietnam, and likely lives around 3000 feet below the waves. And while it’s appearance might make you think it’s doomed to forever scuttle along the seafloor, it might not be sand-bound: scientists have observed similar isopods using their back limbs, called pleons, to swim.
While this singular discovery might be a great fact for an ocean/Star Wars themed trivia night, the newly named isopod also reminds us that our search for strange and wild life can happen right here on planet Earth. As we learn more about remotest and deepest reaches of our ocean and the unique and interesting animals it holds, I hope we can all join together to “use the force” for this deep sea world’s protection.
