As Star Wars enthusiasts need not be told, Greedo, in the films, was a son of Greedo the Elder, and lived with the young Anakin Skywalker as a male Rodian bounty hunter. Greedo is an interesting looking being – with green bumpy alien skin, big bulging black eyes, and according to the Star Wars “Wookieepedia” , a height of 1.73 meters. However, now he is being known for something else: a newly named catfish, which due to its appearance, has been named after the character.
The armored catfish, called Peckoltia greedoi, was found in Brazil’s Gurupi River in 1998. Though more yellow in skin tone, the idea derived from the similarity in eyes – big, dark, captivating. The catfish does look somewhat celestial, further adding to the inspiration.
According to NBC news, when Jonathan Armbruster, a biological sciences professor at Auburn University, and curator of the fishes at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, told of a time he was working with Chris Hamilton, a fellow colleague, “[he] looked at the specimen and said, ‘that looks like that guy from Star Wars. After a little prodding, I realized he was talking about Greedo. We then knew what the name had to be. The Peckoltia greedoi does bear a striking resemblance to Greedo.”
Naming newly discovered beings after celebrities is becoming more popular in the world of science. In fact, this is the second time Star Wars has been used in the naming of an organism – scientists once named an acorn worm with big lips on both sides of its head after Yoda – a legendary Jedi Master in the films.
Fortunately, or rather hopefully, the creatures will not turn out to have the same fate as some of the characters they are being named for. Han Solo, for example, killed Greedo, on a failed bounty-hunting mission. Greedo, too, was known for possessing characteristics of social ineptitude, not yet indicated by the catfish.
