ZooWeird 72

A doggerel series about odd or little-known animals.

Sea pig. Sea pigs are deep sea holothurian echinoderms of the Scotoplanes genus. They can be found in deep ocean bottoms in all major oceans, at depths of 1000 meters or greater. They are closely related to sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea). They are also known as sea cows because of the tube feet on their upper body side, which are reminiscent of cattle horns. Sea pigs haven’t been thoroughly studied and thus little is known about them. The average sea pig has a fat, oval body, with a length ranging from 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches). The mouth is surrounded by ten feeding tentacles, and they have five to seven pairs of feet that are used exclusively for walking on the sea bottom. They have three pairs of papillae on the upper surface of the body. The two are long and whip-like, but the third pair is short and inconspicuous. (All animal info from http://www.strangeanimals.info/2011/10/sea-pigs.html#ixzz4Y2Kh8mk2)

How nice to have a name like “pig”—

It’s not a name I'd really dig,

But just expect it if you’re big.

He lives there on the ocean floor—

And eats unpleasant things (and more)—

But never needs a grocery store.

He also has the name of “cow”—

Which doesn’t seem too kind, somehow.

A pig. A cow. Well, take a bow,

For you have earned the grimmest name—

And you, of course, are not to blame.

It’s humans—and to name's their game!