Fish discovered off Zanzibar named after homeland of ‘Black Panther’

Wakanda, the mythical homeland of the “Black Panther”superhero, is more often associated with felines than fins, but that’s the name scientists have coined for a new purple fish found off the coast of Tanzania. “When we thought about the secretive and isolated nature of these unexplored African reefs, we knew we had to name this new species after Wakanda,” said Yi-Kai Tea, lead author of a new study published by the California Academy of Sciences and the University of Sydney. The fish — which lives in Zanzibar’s deep reefs, well below recreational diving level — has been named Cirrhilabrus wakanda and is a member of the Fairy Wrasse family. Its “purple chain-link scale pattern reminded the scientists of the superhero’s ultra-strong suit and the fabric motifs worn by Wakandans in the hit film,” researchers said in a statement. — DPA