New, 'Hairy' Coral Discovered In Hawaii Named After Chewbacca

New, 'Hairy' Coral Discovered In Hawaii Named After Chewbacca

New, 'Hairy' Coral Discovered In Hawaii Named After Chewbacca Chrysogorgiidae is a family of soft corals, commonly known as “golden corals,” which stand out in the deep-sea thanks to their eye-catching iridescent displays.  And one Chrysogorgiidae coral species, from the family Iridogorgia, has finally been added to the scientific record after scattered sightings in rocky ocean bottoms off the Hawaiian island of Molokaʻi in 2006 and the Mariana Trench in 2016.  Les Watling, professor emeritus at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Life Sciences, recorded the findings on September 4 after reviewing research from colleagues at the Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences in Qingdao, China.  “Seeing this coral for the first time was unforgettable,” Watling said in an interview with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “Its long, flexible branches and shape immediately reminded me of Chewbacca.” Despite its uncanny resemblance to the 7-foot-tall Wookie, once descri…