Cephalopodcast

Pucker and Bloat #1A, PG version. Click here for profanity. © Jason Robertshaw

When we last left Pucker, we were missing the other star on the marquee of my nascent Web comic. But given the recent kerfuffle over on the Science Blogs over the merits of molluscs versus echinoderms, it seemed natural to settle on a sea cucumber as the best choice to play the sparring role. So there you have it folks, it’s decided: Pucker is an octopus and Bloat will be a sea cucumber.

But what’s the real separation in this spineless schism? What pulls these two poles apart? Why can’t we all swim along? As it turns out, the differences are primordial and profound.

In the very beginning, all animal embryos look very much the same, whether they are snails or sea stars. But once they get around a hundred cells thick, the hollow blob starts to split, forming a hole at one end. This opening, called a blastopore, is important and will ultimately form part of the digestive system of the animal. In a group called the protostomes, this opening forms the mouth. Molluscs and many other invertebrates start life out this way, mouth first. However, in a group called the deuterostomes, this first opening forms the anus. Sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins do it this way, as well as vertebrates, including humans. We start life out butt first.

So it should now be obvious which end these two spatting sides are speaking out of. And my first comic is a tribute to these fundamental differences. It’s a little rough and rude (there are two versions, PG and PG-13). But now that I have these two characters to play with, I need something more for them to say. So if you have a bio joke or aquatic anecdote that lends itself to illustration, let me know. I need ideas. Feed me.

Team Sticky, for the Echinoderms

• The Intersection: Science, Policy, and Sea Cucumbers: Sheril On Your Radio
• The Intersection: Every Species Needs a Hero
• Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge: Holothuria-matic
• The Other 95%: Sea Cucumbers Insire Brain Implant
• The Intersection: Just When You Thought Sea Cucumbers Couldn’t Get Any Cooler…
• Zooillogix: Sea Cucumbers Have Mutant Healing Factor
• Blog Around the Clock: Sea Cucumber - the Ultimate Phallic Symbol!
• Blog Around the Clock: The Invertebrate Wars!

Team Mucky, for the Molluscs

• Deep Sea News: On Clearing Up The Matter That Mollusks Are Better Than Echinoderms
• Deep Sea News: Another Blow to Sea Cucumbers and a New Challenger to the Ring
• Deep Sea News: On How Molluscs are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 2
• Deep Sea News: On How Mollusks are Cooler Than Echinoderms (or anything else) Pt. 3: The Radula
• UPDATE: A Snail’s Eye View: Molluscs vs echinoderms