Giant ocean-dwelling isopods are on the menu in Vietnam. Scientists discovered a new species among specimens captured for the food market, and it's a doozy.

The giant isopod has been named Bathynomus vaderi due to its resemblance to Darth Vader's iconic helmet from "Star Wars."

Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus, which can reach more than 30 cm in length, are known as bọ biển or "sea bugs" in Vietnam. For the first time, one such species was described from Vietnamese waters and named Bathynomus vaderi.

A NEW species of foot-long giant sea bug has been discovered in plain sight on sale at food markets. The critter has become a popular delicacy in Vietnam and is even being sold live in city

In 2022, staff from Hanoi University purchased a selection of 'supergiant' isopods at a seaford market in Quy Nhơn City in Vietnam, intrigued by a burgeoning market for the deep sea crustaceans as a delicacy.

The dark side of the ocean: a newly discovered species of giant isopod has been named after the Star Wars villain Darth Vader because of its

The newly identified giant isopod has a head that looks eerily like the Sith Lord's iconic helmet from the "Star Wars" franchise.

A purchase at an urban Vietnamese fish market turned out to be a whole new species of giant isopod –with a bit of a dark side. The foot-long crustacean has been named Bathynomus vaderi and sports a head that resembles the iconic helmet of Darth Vader from the Star Wars.

A marine crustacean that looks like Darth Vader’s helmet has been recognised as a new species, but it could be under threat from trawling due to its popularity in Vietnamese restaurants

Deep in the waters off Vietnam’s coast, scientists have discovered a new species of giant isopod — a creature that looks like a massively oversized roly-poly or pill bug. Named Bathynomus vaderi after the iconic Star Wars villain,

Scientists working at a crustacean laboratory in Singapore have discovered a new-to-science species of “supergiant” isopod, and it’s an absolute wedge. Known as b bin or “sea bugs” in Vietnam, its angular noggin has inspired an out-of-this-world species name: Bathynomus vaderi,