It’s no contest. The sea pig has everything a mere cat lacks: it’s cute and adorable, it’s pink, and it’s got tentacles. Once you’ve gone holothurian, you’ll never go…uh, I’m sure the local poet will be along to provide a catchy rhyme.
Why, I was just extolling the many virtues of the sea-pig yesterday in class. What could be cooler than a bilaterally symmetrical motile animal with radially symmetrical sessile ancestors with bilaterally symmetrical motile ancestors with possibly-radially-symmetrical sessile ancestors? They have reinvented walking legs. Essentially scaled-up tardigrades without the exoskeleton. So, so cool.
Father Ogvorbis: It's Good for You. It Builds Charactersays
The closest rhyme I can think of is Epicurean.
Golgafrinchian?
Cuttlefishsays
An adventuresome, bold Epicurean
Thought he’d whip up some friend holothurian
His attempts, though, at makin’
Delicious sea-bacon
All failed. So sea-pigs, stop worryin’
abadideasays
Honored to have been of assistance, Mr. Cuttlefish, but would sea-pig count as one of those excessive delicacies Epicureans are admonished to avoid? :)
Vivasays
You know, that thing made me think of the burgess shale fossil hallucigenia. that is a good thing! Fossilized animals are cute by definition. Especially ordovician sea scorpions.
While I tapped at a text editor, Cuttlefish beat me to the poem. Here’s my attempt anyway:
==
Ode to Eating Sea Cuke
Just stop your worryin’
and go holothurian;
the texture is burry ‘n’
nice.
It’s no worse than durian;
a true Epicurean
eats them with curry ‘n’
rice.
==
Ahem. Sorry, I guess I’ll leave it to the pros. But for the record, I have eaten raw sea cucumber, smothered in hot sauce, at a Korean restaurant (and dang it if “Korean” doesn’t *almost* make for a good additional rhyme…).
Mmm, rubbery stuff. Not as crunchy as jellyfish.
llewellysays
Cuttlefish | 8 October 2011 at 2:03 pm:
An adventuresome, bold Epicurean
Thought he’d whip up some friend holothurian
His attempts, though, at makin’
Delicious sea-bacon
All failed. So sea-pigs, stop worryin’
(Emphasis mine.)
Er, friend?
“Adventuresome, bold Epicurean” tried to cook a friend?
I’ve heard tell of people cannibalizing a fellow raftmate when lost far out to sea, or a fellow pioneer when trapped by deep snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but eating a friend for the sake of “adventure”?
Briansays
Perhaps in his haste, Cuttlefish was too fried to properly spell-check his post.
RFWsays
The French composer Erik Satie wrote Embryons desséchés (“Desiccated embryos”), a suite of three short pieces for piano. The first is D’Holothurie, “Desiccated embryo of a Holothurian.”
Wow, a deuterostome… Who are you and what have you done with P(‘protostome’)Z Myers?!
pjsays
@CriticalDragon1177
Saturday is Caturday for cat lovers. There are three possibilities that I can think of for Anti-Caturday:
1) PZ opposes all cuteness
2) PZ tries to keep up his appearances as a baby-eating atheist internet overlord
3) it’s a willy-waving contest with non-blogger Jerry Coyne who has Caturday regularly in his non-blog Why Evolution Is True
CriticalDragon1177says
Dexitroboper,
Oh so, Caturday, means funny pictures of cats? Interesting.
Tethyssays
um..I could very well be wrong but I think Caturday started on icanhascheezburger.com
Caturday, like most everything on the Net, started on 4chan.
John Moralessays
pj, I can think of more.
(Your (1) is confuted by this very post, BTW)
pjsays
I admit I didn’t read the actual text this time. So anti-cuteness is refuted. Other possibilities:
– PZ hates cats (but it would shameful for a biologist to hate an entire species IMO)
– PZ wants to challenge fluffonormative views of cuteness
What do you have, John Morales?
Ragutissays
Cute, but it’s no “Barry the worm”.
Katkinkatesays
Another alternative: PZ likes to be a contrarian. That’s not a problem though. I do myself at times. It’s quite fun. Does anyone know what the little swimming things are under the beastie?
John Moralessays
pj,
What do you have, John Morales?
An unfettered imagination, and no need to speculate. :)
Zeno says
The sea pig is one day late for Garbanzo Day!
abadidea says
The closest rhyme I can think of is Epicurean.
ChasCPeterson says
Why, I was just extolling the many virtues of the sea-pig yesterday in class. What could be cooler than a bilaterally symmetrical motile animal with radially symmetrical sessile ancestors with bilaterally symmetrical motile ancestors with possibly-radially-symmetrical sessile ancestors? They have reinvented walking legs. Essentially scaled-up tardigrades without the exoskeleton. So, so cool.
Almost as cool as yer pelagic swimming sea cukes.
Father Ogvorbis: It's Good for You. It Builds Character says
Golgafrinchian?
Cuttlefish says
An adventuresome, bold Epicurean
Thought he’d whip up some friend holothurian
His attempts, though, at makin’
Delicious sea-bacon
All failed. So sea-pigs, stop worryin’
abadidea says
Honored to have been of assistance, Mr. Cuttlefish, but would sea-pig count as one of those excessive delicacies Epicureans are admonished to avoid? :)
Viva says
You know, that thing made me think of the burgess shale fossil hallucigenia. that is a good thing! Fossilized animals are cute by definition. Especially ordovician sea scorpions.
tushcloots says
Sea pigs don’t piss on everything, either.
How to stop cats pissing on your car
Baktru says
Meh not too impressed by the sea pigs. Sea Angels however are kind of cute:
Defaithed says
While I tapped at a text editor, Cuttlefish beat me to the poem. Here’s my attempt anyway:
==
Ode to Eating Sea Cuke
Just stop your worryin’
and go holothurian;
the texture is burry ‘n’
nice.
It’s no worse than durian;
a true Epicurean
eats them with curry ‘n’
rice.
==
Ahem. Sorry, I guess I’ll leave it to the pros. But for the record, I have eaten raw sea cucumber, smothered in hot sauce, at a Korean restaurant (and dang it if “Korean” doesn’t *almost* make for a good additional rhyme…).
Mmm, rubbery stuff. Not as crunchy as jellyfish.
llewelly says
Cuttlefish | 8 October 2011 at 2:03 pm:
(Emphasis mine.)
Er, friend?
“Adventuresome, bold Epicurean” tried to cook a friend?
I’ve heard tell of people cannibalizing a fellow raftmate when lost far out to sea, or a fellow pioneer when trapped by deep snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but eating a friend for the sake of “adventure”?
Brian says
Perhaps in his haste, Cuttlefish was too fried to properly spell-check his post.
RFW says
The French composer Erik Satie wrote Embryons desséchés (“Desiccated embryos”), a suite of three short pieces for piano. The first is D’Holothurie, “Desiccated embryo of a Holothurian.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2PfFtQPWM
Music to stroke your pet cephalopod or holothurian by.
Glen Davidson says
Wait until they become accessories for socialites like Paris Hilton
We’ll see them all over the place. Smaller and more convenient than a dog, and clammier too!
Glen Davidson
happiestsadist says
Aww, they’re all pink and adorable!
I love the cat purring in my lap, but I kind of also want a sweet little sea pig in a tank.
Kent Damgaard says
I don’t think Satie is right, this looks more like it needs some old Barry White tunes :)
CriticalDragon1177 says
PZ Myers,
What is the point of these Anti-Caturday posts anyway? What does the word Caturday mean anyway?
'Tis Himself, OM says
But do sea pigs barf all over the bath mat, leaving a present for you to discover as you stumble barefoot towards the toilet at oh-dark-hundred?
dexitroboper says
Caturday: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=caturday
Troy Britain says
Wow, a deuterostome… Who are you and what have you done with P(‘protostome’)Z Myers?!
pj says
@CriticalDragon1177
Saturday is Caturday for cat lovers. There are three possibilities that I can think of for Anti-Caturday:
1) PZ opposes all cuteness
2) PZ tries to keep up his appearances as a baby-eating atheist internet overlord
3) it’s a willy-waving contest with non-blogger Jerry Coyne who has Caturday regularly in his non-blog Why Evolution Is True
CriticalDragon1177 says
Dexitroboper,
Oh so, Caturday, means funny pictures of cats? Interesting.
Tethys says
um..I could very well be wrong but I think Caturday started on icanhascheezburger.com
vltava says
Caturday, like most everything on the Net, started on 4chan.
John Morales says
pj, I can think of more.
(Your (1) is confuted by this very post, BTW)
pj says
I admit I didn’t read the actual text this time. So anti-cuteness is refuted. Other possibilities:
– PZ hates cats (but it would shameful for a biologist to hate an entire species IMO)
– PZ wants to challenge fluffonormative views of cuteness
What do you have, John Morales?
Ragutis says
Cute, but it’s no “Barry the worm”.
Katkinkate says
Another alternative: PZ likes to be a contrarian. That’s not a problem though. I do myself at times. It’s quite fun. Does anyone know what the little swimming things are under the beastie?
John Morales says
pj,
An unfettered imagination, and no need to speculate. :)
chimaera says
Not all sea pigs are as cute as this one…
WMDKitty says
I just snatched your “anti-caturday” icon. Love it.
scotthatfield says
Once you have gone holothurian,
You will desire no other friend.