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New species of coral named after Chewbacca

Gail P Sherman
Sep 18, 2025
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Chewbacca (Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock.com)

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 …

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