Marine scientists have identified a new deep-sea coral species with a look so distinctive that it earned a name from a galaxy far, far away. The coral, Iridogorgia chewbacca, was first spotted off Moloka‘i in 2006, but only recently confirmed as unique after years of genetic and structural analysis.

With its long, flexible branches resembling fur, researchers couldn’t help but compare it to Chewbacca from *Star Wars,* University of Hawaiʻi reports.

Photo: YouTube / SWNS

A second specimen was discovered near the Mariana Trench in 2016.

From First Glimpse to Official Recognition

The coral was first collected during a University of Hawai‘i expedition and later encountered again near the Mariana Trench in 2016. The Moloka‘i specimen measured about four feet tall, while the Mariana sample reached just under two feet. Both featured hairlike branches stretching up to 15 inches long, according to Popular Science.

For nearly two decades, the unusual coral sat in storage while scientists prioritized other specimens. Only through collaboration with colleagues in China did a formal description finally come to life, Aloha State Daily reports.

Photo: YouTube / SWNS

The coral’s shaggy branches resemble the fur of Chewbacca from Star Wars.

Why It Stands Out

Unlike most corals that build dense reefs, *I. chewbacca* tends to stand alone across rocky seafloor. Each colony is a community of thousands of tiny polyps working together to form the larger structure, as the New York Post reports. Its unusual flexibility may come from reduced levels of calcium carbonate, the mineral that stiffens other coral skeletons. That bendable build gives it its shaggy silhouette and sets it apart from its more rigid relatives.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Dick Thomas Johnson, License: CC BY 2.0

The coral’s shaggy branches resemble the fur of Chewbacca from Star Wars.

The Challenge of Rarity

Only two confirmed specimens exist, one near Hawai‘i and one near the Mariana Trench—separated by nearly 4,000 miles. Researchers suspect the species thrives in a narrow depth band around 600 to 660 meters, a zone often bypassed by deep-sea surveys. That rarity makes it difficult to know how many are out there or how they reproduce, according to Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Some scientists believe undiscovered colonies may still be hidden in the Indo-Pacific’s vast underwater landscape.

Future Threats in Deep Waters

While this coral’s depth offers some protection from fishing impacts, climate change remains a looming danger. Rising ocean temperatures and acidity threaten corals worldwide. Even species like *I. chewbacca* that dwell in deeper waters could eventually feel the effects. Scientists are racing to better understand these fragile organisms before warming seas alter their habitat beyond repair, Popular Science reports.

The discovery of *Iridogorgia chewbacca* highlights how little we truly know about the Pacific’s deep waters. Even in regions studied for decades, strange new species await recognition. For now, one coral stands tall in the dark, its branches waving like the fur of a Wookiee drifting with the currents.