A newly discovered fish species is named after San, the warrior princess and main character in Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke.
The species was discovered by Chinese researchers who noticed the unique cheek stripes, which resemble those on San’s face. The study’s lead author, who identified it as a new species, told the BBC: “In Princess Mononoke, San is a young woman raised by wolves after being abandoned by her human parents. She sees herself as part of the forest and fights to protect it.”
“The film delves into the complex relationship between humans and nature and promotes a message of harmonious coexistence between the two: something we hope to echo through this naming.”
The new fish belongs to the family Branchiostegidae and is a deep-water tilefish, a species often found in fish markets.