This is the third supergiant isopod species discovered in the South China Sea since 2017, researchers said. Photo by Huang M-C, Kawai T (2025) At a fishing port in Taiwan, researchers bought four ...

The giant isopod is served as food after being steamed, grilled, stir-fried or cooked with fried rice. Giant isopods sold at a seafood market in Hanoi in May 2024. PHOTO: NGUYEN THANH SON.

We've got the Human Botfly which lays its eggs in human flesh. The Star-Nosed Mole, the Giant Isopod, the Giant Centipede and the largest spider on Earth: The GOLIATH BIRDEATER TARANTULA (shiver).

The head of Bathynomus vaderi, a newly described species of giant isopod found in Southeast Asian waters Nguyen Thanh Son. Move aside, lobster—a newly described giant isopod from Vietnam is now ...

Newly-discovered giant sea bug resembling Darth Vader isn't as scary as it looks The creature belongs to a genus of giant isopods found in abundance in deep-sea waters, though the size of B ...

Like all giant isopods, of which there are around 20 species, B. Vaderi is a carnivore and prefers feeding on crustaceans, fish, squid, and even whale carcasses.

What has 14 legs, lives at the bottom of the sea, and looks like Darth Vader? It's a newly discovered species of supergiant isopod, and should you happen to be in Vietnam sometime soon, you can ...

Recent years have seen giant isopods like B. vaderi go from being merely the accidental bycatch of local fishermen to an expensive delicacy elevated above even lobster, the so-called king of seafood.

A “supergiant” sea bug discovered in Vietnam has been named for its striking resemblance to Star Wars villain Darth Vader. The giant isopod, which can reach lengths of 32.5cm and weigh over a ...

By early 2023, the team realized that these giant isopods belonged to a species that had not been described by scientists. Bathynomus vaderi is considered a supergiant isopod, reaching about 12.7 ...

Researcher Peter Ng examining giant isopods at a seafood market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Nguyen Thanh Son. Ng says the team chose the species’ name because of its resemblance to Darth Vader’s mask, ...