It looks like it came from a galaxy far, far away – and it should have stayed there.
Southeast Asian scientists felt people’s skin crawling after discovering a sea bug in Vietnam that is so massive it appears to have been created by AI, according to a study published in Zookeys.
The jumbo isopod is named Bathynomus vaderi because its hooded skull resembles Darth Vader’s iconic helmet from “Star Wars,” Livescience reported.
This particular creature, which inhabits super-deep waters, is a supergiant, measuring 12.8 inches long and weighing 2.2 pounds — about the same weight as a guinea pig.
It’s basically an underwater soup version of the seed bug, a similarly segmented arthropod found in people’s gardens.
Researchers from Hanoi University first bought the colossal crustacean at a seafood market in – of all places – Quy Nhơn city, after which they collaborated with Singaporean scientists to identify it, Popular Science reported.
By analyzing the features of B. vaderi, the team discovered that the water cockroach was a previously undescribed species.
Until now, the isopod has only been found near the Spratly Islands by fishermen hunting for isopods; however, the researchers believe that additional research will show that this plus-sized pill bug also inhabits other parts of the South China Sea.
Like all giant isopods, of which there are about 20 species, B. Vader is carnivorous and prefers to feed on crustaceans, fish, squid, and even whale carcasses.
On the other hand, giant isopods are a fixation among Vietnamese gourmets, who consider them a delicacy equal to lobsters and buy them directly from fish markets.
Once sold as low-cost bycatch, these tasty denizens of the deep now fetch a pretty penny—one Tapei restaurant in particular served up a 14-foot isopod with ramen for $65.
Researchers believe their commercial value could either threaten the species or pave the way for more sustainable harvesting practices.
B. Vader is far from the largest example of a genus whose members are so gigantic they look computer-generated.
That honor goes to B. jamesi, which can reach 20 inches in length and weigh 2.6 kg.
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