A deep-sea creature has been named after Metallica. The tiny crustacean or “sea monster” lives 16,000 ft below the surface of the Pacific Ocean and surrounds itself with metal nodules.

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We’ve played on all seven continents, made it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and now… we’re a crustacean! Senckenberg researcher Dr. Torben Riehl and Dr. Bart De Smet of Ghent University in Belgium have discovered a new crustacean species in the depths of the northern Pacifica Ocean and decided to name it after some rock band… Welcome to our world Macrostylis metallicola! First of all, stellar name Dr. Riehl. Second, what an honor! Not only did Dr. Riehn name his discovery after a band as he has been a fan since childhood, The Thing That Should Not Be has a few things in common with us. The worm-like creature dwells in complete darkness, has no eyes, and is colorless. Talk about Blackened! It also lives amongst metallic nodules containing cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, and rare-earth elements. So it basically lives in a rock stadium? Now that’s one metal crustacean! You just never know what you’ll find lurking beneath the sea. Art by @anyfranksz

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Macrostylis metallicola is a tiny worm-like creature that lives in the depths of the Pacific ocean. The “sea-monster” is colourless with no eyes, and lives in absolute darkness. Pretty metal, right?!

Metallica isn’t the first band to have a species named after them.

Some notables include a fireworm named after hardcore punk legend Henry Rollins. Pink Floyd has a pink clawed crustacean. The tiny isopod found in Zanzibar has been named after Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. A bat frog named after Ozzy Osbourne. The long-haired cells found in the hindgut of termites are named after RUSH. Lastly, original Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has a his own tarantula.

Filed under: james-hetfield, macrostylis-metallicola, Metallica, sea-creature, sea-monster