The wise Star Wars character, Yoda, has inspired scientists investigating underwater creatures. Researchers sent a little submarine into the depths of the Mid Atlantic Ridge between Iceland and Azores and found a new purple acorn worm they have named “Yoda pupurata” – or purple Yoda.
The resemblance of the worm to Yoda
Scientists say the tiny worm has large lips on either side of its head, which reminds the researchers of Yoda.
“Our colleague in California, Nick Holland, the world authority on enteropneusts, chose the name Yoda for the new genus characterized by its large, ear-like lips. There is much interest in acorn worms from the point of view of understanding the early evolution of the vertebrates. Whilst they are not strictly a missing link in our own evolution, they give an insight into what the lifestyle of our remote ancestors might have been like,” Professor Monty Priede, from the University of Aberdeen.
More on acorn worms
“Shallow water acorn worms live in burrows and are rarely seen, whereas deep-sea species live on the seafloor, leaving spiral traces of poo that resemble crop circles. These traces have been seen in fossil form, but until recently, nobody knew what produced them,” Douglas Main of Our Amazing Planet explained.
“Scientists are interested in these deep-sea species because they are close to the evolutionary link between vertebrates and invertebrates,” he added. “In other words, the force is strong with them.”
Other creatures named after celebrities
According to The Guardian, “The pint-sized Star Wars character joins a long list of other famous people and characters who have had a new species named after them, including a fish parasite named after Bob Marley; a horse fly named after Beyoncé and a trio of slime-mold beetles named after George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.”
