My brother sent me some interesting blog posts regarding Echinoderms vs. Mollusks and which ones are better and why.

I was at first wondering how this argument starting showing up over the internet and decided to test out its argumentative quality in a semi-sorta psych experiment with one of my science minded friends.

Debates are fun and the average person likes to participate in fun debates. Presidential debates are  highly televised and many a tiny tot argues about whether it is spiderman or batman who takes the cake.

So why not Echinoderms vs. Mollusks?  I mentioned this to my friend, here called ‘J’, casually mentioning that I thought echinoderms, such as sea stars (friend Pisaster appearing again…) were superior to mollusks. He looked at me for a bit and then, even though you might think he would take my word for it, ‘J’ said, ” Wait, doesn’t the mollusk [phylum] also include like, squid and octopi?”

Well, yes… Mollusks include squid and octopi. So his argument? ‘J’ says but hey, Octopuses are sooo cool because they are super intelligent for an invertebrate. It is true, octopi can solve puzzles or mazes and exhibit both short and long term memory. Some biologists say that their ability to learn is limited by their short life span.

Octopi, just one example of a mollusk. They can squeeze into very small spaces due to their lack of internal skeleton.

And apparently “squid are just cool.” Sorry though, mollusks also include snails…. and clams.

Tell me how snails are really cool, please?

Now.. Sea Cucumbers and Sea Stars.. Rock on there.  Sea stars can regenerate missing limbs if predators tear them off. Some sea stars, like the genus Linckia, can regenerate from a single limb. Can you imagine how sailors would have felt when told that far from reducing the amount of ‘pest’ sea stars by ripping them into pieces, they were actually increasing the number of sea stars?

Sea stars have freaking awesome pentaradial symmetry ( 5 arms radiating from a central disk). Well, most of them have five arms, some have more, like the gigantic sunflower sea star which has 15-26 limbs. Incidently, the sunflower sea star is also the fastest moving variety, and a voracious predator.

Sea Cucumbers are also very fun to look at underwater, as I have mentioned in a previous post. Big and interesting, these weird creatures of the deep are not plants like cucumbers or something, but are scavengers. You have to remember, scavengers are so important to a healthy ecosystem.

And what is the prey species of Sea Stars? Hmm.. something like clams, mussels… oh wait… MOLLUSKS!

Oh wait, guess my psychology experiment got a little tainted by my lack of impartiality.

Even in Finding Nemo, Mollusks and Echinoderms have been pitted against each other. Here Marlin, finally finishes his joke (a running gag) : ” …and the sea cucumber turns to the mollusk and says, “With fronds like these, who needs anemones?”