A newly discovered species of sea worm with regenerative bums have been named after Godzilla’s monster enemy.
Godzilla has inspired the name of a newly found worm
The worms - with rear ends that come off and then swim away during reproduction before growing back afterwards - has been christened in honour of King Ghidorah, the multi headed enemy of the supersized lizard who terrorizes the Japanese capital city, Tokyo.
In all, 25 worms - officially named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi - were discovered in Japan residing inside a sea sponge in 2019.
Maria Teresa Aguado, a biologist at the University of Gottingen in Germany and the study’s lead author said: "King Ghidorah is a branching fictional animal that can regenerate its lost ends. So we thought this was an appropriate name for the new species of branching worm.”
The replacement body part - known as a stolon - swims to the surface to release eggs and save the rest of the body from the danger of going to the surface as it regenerates.