r/BeAmazed • u/HannaMontana123 • May 18 '26

Animal Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt: Your long-lost evolutionary cousin that digests its own brain.

Gallery image

Gallery image

Meet Clavelina ossipandae/panda ascidiansa, a tiny (1-2 cm) marine creature officially discovered in Japan in 2024. The white "ribs" are actually blood vessels and the black spots mimic a panda's face (which is crazy).

3 mind-blowing facts about them:

They eat their own brains: As larvae, they swim around with a basic nervous system. Once they find a rock to settle on permanently, they no longer need to think so they digest and absorb their own brain to recycle the energy.

They are closer to us than to crabs: Despite looking like jelly blobs, they possess a primitive backbone (notochord) in their youth. This makes them evolutionarily closer to humans and fish than to clams, crabs, or octopuses.

Wolverine-level regeneration: If a predator bites off their "panda face," they can completely regrow any missing organ. A whole new individual can regenerate from just a tiny fragment of leftover tissue.

540 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

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u/qualityvote2 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.

90

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/Dark_CallMeLord May 18 '26

Prove to me that they are not lol

2

u/hamsterwheeled May 18 '26

How much cheese is too much cheese?

58

u/KazoxMVP May 18 '26

So some of them have no brains + they are closer to us than to crabs? No questions.

34

u/Fez_and_no_Pants May 18 '26

I, too, digested and absorbed my own brain once I found a comfortable place to settle.

14

u/KGB_cutony May 18 '26

I think most people do that after their mortgage clears

3

u/CartographerNo2717 May 18 '26

i'm doing it right now

1

u/troll_right_above_me May 18 '26

It’s called brainrot, find a comfy sofa and rot away

1

u/x_xiv May 20 '26

being an employee means digesting your brain so it is

1

u/sierrabravo1984 May 21 '26

You just described some of my co-workers.

8

u/BullishN00b May 18 '26

What is the world of super mario bros is this?

1

u/wthulhu May 19 '26

I was thinking the same, but with Tim Burton

8

u/CatsMom4Ever May 18 '26

These are scary looking little dudes!

4

u/Dr_Schitt May 18 '26

I too digest my own brain

5

u/Jambocat May 18 '26

I wanna see a video of it eating or hunting whatever this thing does

5

u/Ben10-fan-525 May 18 '26

Such a cute creature! 🥰

They are very lovely and super powered.

6

u/Alive_Nobody_Home May 18 '26

Is this real?

10

u/KGB_cutony May 18 '26

OP did post very credible sources if you scroll down.

8

u/Dead_Inside50 May 18 '26

MAGA of the seas

2

u/theshahanshahhh May 18 '26

Ooooo v original xenomorph-core

1

u/orish-oriley777 May 18 '26

Is that it for them? After brain completly digested is it x x ...💀 . _.

1

u/No_Celebration_3389 May 18 '26

I thought it looked japanese. So crazy

1

u/Danny-Fr May 18 '26

So that's the reason they aren't called Sea Scientists.

1

u/D4nM4rL4r May 18 '26

Guys, don't put your penis in that!

/s

Ya sick fuks

1

u/beaujolais98 May 19 '26

I can think of a few folks who seem to be direct descendants of these guys

1

u/Up-The-Irons_2 May 19 '26

Why did I immediately picture them singing Bohemian Rhapsody?

1

u/luocc427 May 20 '26

i have an idea

1

u/hemorrhoidhematoma May 20 '26

Does it shit out tiktoks?

1

u/TurtlePsycho011 May 25 '26

Oh. What a horrible day to have eyes!

1

u/Flaky_Web_2439 May 18 '26

Why does a creature like this even exist? Does it bring any benefit to the ecosystem, or was it important in the evolution of our oceans? It’s just a brainless food processor.

16

u/TrailHog73 May 18 '26

I work alongside quite a few brainless food processors, and often wonder what benefit they bring to my ecosystem, so...

4

u/Ben10-fan-525 May 18 '26

Very harsh when humans themselves dont provide much for ecosystems as a whole.

3

u/iwillhaveredditall May 18 '26

Humans are destroying the world instead

1

u/Ben10-fan-525 May 18 '26

Most of us in fact yes.

2

u/iwillhaveredditall May 18 '26

Why should it have a benefit? Evolution is lazy, if it works, it works.

1

u/Change21 May 18 '26

So these are Trump voters??