A giant new sea bug was discovered off the Coast of Vietnam. CNN science says
“Scientists have newly identified a “supergiant” sea bug species after purchasing crustaceans from fishermen and restaurants in Vietnam to study the growing popularity of the creatures as a local delicacy.”
This new deep-sea critter is now called Bathynomus vaderi. It got its name after researchers noticed its head shared a resemblance to the helmet worn by iconic “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader.
The scientists officially described the newfound species on Tuesday in the Journey Zoo Key which confirmed that some elements of B. vaderi’s body structure are greatly different from other Bathynomus specimens found in the South China Sea.
The Fishermen who caught B. vaderi were deep-sea trawling in the South China Sea was 50 nautical miles offshore of the city of Quy Nhon. It is in south-central Vietnam, that is west of the Spratly Islands.
B. vaderi feed on dead animals, recycling nutrients as part of the deep-sea food chain.
Bathynomus’ massive size may help its survival in the ocean’s or can provide a competitive advantage over other scavengers.
Right now there are only 11 known “supergiant” and nine “giant” Bathynomus species. B. vaderi is only the second recorded supergiant isopod species ever to be discovered in the South China Sea.
Since these crustaceans are in such deep waters, this distinguishes B. vaderi from other species which makes a laborious process for the research team.
According to CNN
“These (creatures) don’t grow very fast, and if they become a very unusual and sought-after item, we may eat them out of existence,” Cheng said.
They also said
“If we get the chance, we would like to do more surveys and perhaps work with scientists in the region to ascertain what is living there,” Sidabalok said. “There is still so much to learn and discover.”
