this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
473 points (97.4% liked)

Science Memes

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top 16 comments
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[–] [email protected] 48 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Are you serious? They really have what amounts to an exoskeleton? Or maybe it's more accurate to call it a whole-body rib cage?

Just searched and found this fun article. Not really a skeleton but a collection of really stiff hairs or feathers (loosely: the genes are the same ones responsible for "other skin appendages" in vertebrates).

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Looks like it's fake. This research paper shows a more normal skeleton, though they do apparently lack ribs and a pelvis.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago

I think it’s just inaccurately labeled as a skeleton. These appear to be skin spikes. https://www.cell.com/iscience/pdf/S2589-0042(19)30185-3.pdf

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Interesting. That page says "few vertebrae", but the image makes it look to me like a full set.

On the other hand, if I found an animal with no ribs and pelvis and only the rudimentary limbs typically found in fish, I'd tend to say that the skeleton was missing. Or at least, ahem, skeletal.

Thanks. My first impression was that there was some funny business, but then I found what I thought was a decent article.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So you're saying all my skin tags are just puffer fish thorns?!

Amazing.....

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Do they scare away predators also?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Only if you inflate yourself.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 2 years ago

It’s made of caltrops!

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I wonder if you can go like

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

gotta find the hidden button

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 years ago

Naturally sourced caltrops

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 years ago

Nature is so brilliant!

[–] burntbutterbiscuits 8 points 2 years ago

Is this what people mean when they say they are “big boned”

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago

Hahaha a living bucky ball. I didn't know I needed to see this.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Seeing this first thing in the morning like

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago

Today I learned that they have bones around their tummy!