Wait, how does that work? <--- (you say)
| CREATURE FEATURE: GEOMETRIC MORAY | |
|---|---|
| |
| speaker of riddles! forlorn prophet of the western indian ocean! | |
| Should we worry? | |
| |
| # of mature individuals: | who even knows |
| conclusion: | probably not |
| Characteristics | |
| scientific name: | Gymnothorax griseus |
| size: | up to 65 cm/≈2.1 feet |
| bad size visualization: | two rulers end-to-end |
| family: | muraenidae (moray eels) | range: | western indian ocean | habitat: | shallow coastal waters, coral, rocky reefs |
| are they hermaphrodites: | YES!!!!!! synchronous!!!!! |
| Cool I guess, but sell me on it! | The geometric moray is gorgeous! Come ON! Look at him! The purplish face, the dots arranged in hypnotizing pseudo-geometry. . .he kind of looks like the erasers that we all stabbed with pencils in second grade, right? But cool and draconic. Like all members of Muraenidae, he secretes mucus that helps him slither through tight crevices. I'm pretty sure this mucus is at least a little bit toxic, too, but there really isn't too much information on this particular species and I'm counfounded as to where to look for more. Maybe I'll email a researcher or something. The word Gymnothorax comes from the Greek gymnos, meaning naked, and thorax, meaning breast. The word griseus is derived from Latin and means grey (which he sure as heck is). The geometric moray is included in my memoir project because, much like all living things, I kinda see him as an extension of myself. In a cosmic schema, we're kind of like cousins, right? If aliens invaded earth, they'd consider us related. I probably share a lot of my DNA with moray eels. Also, I've been told he and I have the same sort of wide, insane eyes. I like eels almost as much as I like cats. By the way, when you run your cursor over them and their opacity goes down, they feel pain. You are HURTING them. You will carry this guilt for the rest of your LIFE!!!!! |
- Mae Jemison, astronaut1
Hah!
Nice try. This project isn't about nucleosynthesis, it's about me. I love talking about space, but I love talking about myself more.
It's true, though - you can Google it if you don't trust me. Iron, oxygen, calcium, and most of the other elements that make us up can only be formed in extreme conditions, like the cores of stars. Through the unknowable machinations of a fickle universe, these elements end up on planets like ours, giving rise to little fellas like you and I.
I like to view myself this way, as an extension of the universe. I love space, and since I'm made of space dust, I get to love myself too. It's great! My self esteem is basically untouchable! My narcissism is born of SCIENCE!!!
Is that it? Is that all you see yourself as? Molecules?
Yeah, fine, no. It's not all existentialism in this brain of mine (only mostly). I also see myself as. . .
- a writer, an artist
- not an optimist, not a pessimist, but a realist (i found through experience that having a lean really doesn't always work out)
- socially avoidant
- an appreciator of the macabre
- a collector of things (rocks, feathers, bones, buttons, analogue clocks, model dragons, stuffed animals, shells, paintings, uranium glass)
- broadly, an absurdist*
- religious
I could go on and on about that last one. My relationship with faith is super convoluted, kind of self-defeating, and ultimately a whole lot of fun. How can someone simultaneously subscribe to absurdism while still claiming to believe in God? How can somebody reject organized religion and still claim to be a Christian? Well, hey, I've gotten away with it for years now. Sometimes, you have to spend some time in a state of continual thinking and rethinking and prayer and study and indecision, and you've got to come to peace with never quite coming to a conclusion. That's where I am right now - if God exists, then I love him, and if he doesn't I'll use him as an excuse to love others. Either way, I'm at peace.
All that to say: do I view myself as a believer? Yes, with a footnote attached. Maybe someday I'll write about it.
Hang on, why'd you put an asterisk on absurdist?
Nice catch!
If you hit the link for that bullet point, you'll find an explanation of absurdism I more or less like. I've developed this love for philosophy pretty recently, and absurdism has been the one system of thought that really struck a chord with me. I can't reconcile with every aspect of it, and I simply do not know everything about it yet, so calling myself an absurdist with my full chest feels a little dishonest. Nevertheless, I think that associating that particular philosophical thesis with me will give you a better idea of who I am and how I view life.
Creature Feature Citations
Conservation status and population numbers: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
General information/characteristics: Wikipedia
Name etymology, habitat, hermaphroditism: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/8058
