2025 for January 1970

Scientists have discovered a unique deep-sea coral and given it the name Iridogorgia Chewbacca.

It is a new deep-sea coral species belonging to genus Iridogorgia.
The coral was discovered in the tropical western Pacific Ocean.
The new coral was first seen in waters off Molokaʻi in 2006 and later near the Mariana Trench in 2016.
It is named after the furry Star Wars fictional character Chewbacca because of its hairy-looking branches.

The species belongs to the genus Iridogorgia, a group of deep-sea corals with long, spiraling structures.
It is known for its long, flexible branches and shiny surface.
Each coral colony is made up of thousands of tiny polyps, which work together to form the larger structure.
Despite its large size and striking appearance, I. chewbacca usually occurs alone, scattered across deep-sea rocky bottoms.

Corals are essentially animals, which are sessile, meaning they permanently attach themselves to the ocean floor.
Corals share a symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae called zooxanthellae.
The algae provide the coral with food and nutrients, which they make through photosynthesis, using the sun’s light.
They use their tiny tentacle-like hands to catch food from the water and sweep into their mouth.
Each individual coral animal is known as a polyp and it lives in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a ‘colony’.

Source: HT

Iridogorgia Chewbacca FAQs

Q1: What is a coral?

Ans: Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria.

Q2: What is symbiosis?

Ans: Symbiosis is defined as a close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species.