2D Biology: Explained! Episode 1, Tudies
Here we have a diagram of a tudy, in far more detail than any tudy knows at this point and greater than their pictures will ever show. That being said, it's still a pretty simplistic drawing of an admittedly simple organism.
Tudies could quite accurately be described as a number of connected, fluid-filled compartments. Most of these are simply the body
(light green), which is a mixture of cells, intercellular fibers, and a gel-like solution that forms the main body of the tudy. This gel diffuses nutrients and such through the body, meaning there is no need for a circulatory system (which could not exist in a 2D creature). The outer covering of the tudy is a fairly tough and durable sheath, called the skin. The main other barrier to the body compartments are the spicules
(thin brownish lines), which hold everything in place.
The most important compartments are the muscles
(thick blue lines, long blue ovoids), which allow the tudy to move. When the muscles get the appropriate signal, the cells around the edge deform, causing the muscle to contract and squeeze out some of the fluid within to the non-muscle tissue on a given side. Typically, this is the side towards the complementary muscle. The tissue becomes saturated and gives up some of the fluid to the complimentary muscle, which expands. Thus, tudies can wiggle their bodies, move their tentacles, and so forth.
There are four yellow patches that catch your eye. The first two, towards the top of the picture and the front of the tudy, are the eyeballs
(bright yellow circles), which see. The lenses and ocular fluid serve to focus images onto the retina
(red lines). The other two, towards the bottom and in the tudy's tail, are fat bodies
(tannish blobs). These blobs of adipose tissue store energy between meals.
The last bits of internal tudy anatomy are all related. Firstly are the two glands/ovaries
(dark purple circles), located adjacent to the stomach. They mostly release digestive chemicals
(purple) into the stomach, breaking down food
(dark green) until it is ready to be absorbed by the body. They also release "eggs," which develop into haploid larvae
(light green thing). The larvae are released at a specific time each year, within a few days of each other just after the hottest part of the year. The larvae meet each other and combine before growing into new tudies, feeding on plankton and such near the surface. More important is the brain
dark blue circle), located near the posterior end of the tudy and being a modified gland. Most of the "nervous" signals are chemical in nature, being pumped along the nerve bundles and nerves
(lavender lines) to their destinations.
Let's wrap this up with some external anatomy! The most notable characteristics may be the jaws, little muscular bits of body tipped with sharp blades
(dark green semi-triangles) that slice into plants and animals alike. The jaws are built from the base, and are made in layers such that when a bit breaks off, it's still sharp. Behind the jaws is the throat, notably the throat-spur
(dark green triangle). The throat holds the stomach closed when the tudy isn't swallowing anything. The other contender for "Most Notable Feature" is, of course, the tudy's tentacles. Each is capable of consciously bending only crudely, mostly just swinging it left or right. There is a "hand" at the end of each tentacle, used for grasping objects. Finally, there are little hairs, which are used to sense vibrations in the water, acting somewhat similarly to Terran fishes' lateral lines. They allow for communication by vibrating the vestigial jet chamber in the rear of the tudy.
Tudy psychology and such may be discussed in a future 2D Science: Explained! update.
Next time, on 2D Biology: Explained: The Bown!
Care to make suggestions for future 2D Science: Explained! updates? I can do just about anything from astronomy to hypothetical future technology, if you like.
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Topic: 2D Tribe (Read 18490 times)