Danger noodles? Scientists gleefully 'unscience' their favorite animals
Flappy flaps. Boopers. Food hole. These are definitely not rigorous scientific descriptions of animal anatomy.
Sometimes it feels like scientists are speaking another language as they drop Latin names and weird words like uvula, eukaryote and spiny lumpsucker. But scientists tweeting around the #UnscienceAnAnimal hashtag are showing just how down to earth they can get.
Everyone from aquarium employees to ecologists are sharing images of animals labeled with inaccurate but extremely funny names of body parts. It's a meme that's been around the internet for awhile, but it's trending into a new lease on life.
Dani Rabaiotti is studying the impact of climate change on African wild dogs. She also wrote the book Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence. Her guide to wild dogs tells us they have a two-way food hole, un-boopable snoot and go-faster socks.
Had a crack at unsciencing a wild dog in my lunch break #UnscienceAnAnimal pic.twitter.com/2cy82hXhYh
— Dani Rabaiotti (@DaniRabaiotti) January 30, 2019
London's Natural History Museum would like everyone to know the blue whale comes equipped with pasta strainers, flippy flaps and a water woosher.
Normally we are all about the science, but these are important blue whale facts.
— Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) January 30, 2019
Balaenoptera musculus AKA Truly Big Blue#UnScienceAnAnimal pic.twitter.com/Yj9Yl9OBtI
Behavioral ecologist Blair Costelloe studies gazelles and decided to post a handy guide to the Thomson's gazelle, which runs on getaway sticks, eats with its nibbler and wears a speed stripe.
I have prepared this official un-scienced Thomson’s gazelle figure for your reference:#UnscienceAnAnimal pic.twitter.com/twJjkECtp8
— Dr. Blair Costelloe (@BlairRCostelloe) January 30, 2019
The nest-stealing cuckoo gets its comeuppance in a scathing takedown from Twitter user Carilynne, who calls out the bird's freeloading ways.
#UnScienceAnAnimal im joining in this hashtag with a cuckoo pic.twitter.com/7yDeSwJVGa
— Carilynne (@grassyotter) January 30, 2019
It's not just living species that are getting the unscience treatment. Paleontologist Mark Witton offers up some deep thoughts on the azhdarchid pterosaur, a bizarre winged dinosaur dating to the late Cretaceous period. Summary: They're weird.
The true anatomy of azhdarchid pterosaurs, finally revealed. #UnscienceAnAnimal pic.twitter.com/s0EtWzQ114
— Mark Witton (@MarkWitton) January 30, 2019
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History points out the T. rex's death hole, which is equipped with murder bananas. And we're still not sure what's going on with those arm-like things.
Our Curator of Dinosauria, Matthew Carrano, wants in on #UnscienceAnAnimal. Here’s his take on T. rex! #DeepTime pic.twitter.com/MzlNXlQsol
— Smithsonian's NMNH (@NMNH) January 30, 2019
Not all of these unscientific explorations are complicated. The Florida Aquarium has a very simple explanation of a sea anemone's anatomy. It has danger noodles and a potty mouth.
Such simple but profound creatures. 💩😱 #UnscienceAnAnimal pic.twitter.com/ghfQD5RQsr
— The Florida Aquarium (@floridaaquarium) January 29, 2019
The #UnscienceAnAnimal hashtag is a joy to explore, whether or not you're someone who knows what an ichthyologist is. Just be sure to watch out for the danger digits if you happen to wander into bald eagle territory.
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