Iridogorgia Chewbacca

Iridogorgia Chewbacca Latest News

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

About 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.

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Features of Iridogorgia Chewbacca

• 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.

What is a Coral?

• 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