Sponge by turte for change into another turtle

[Isidro]

It's not a bait click title, it's just that my trades are just this unconventional!

I did a trade with a collector friend, one of my homemade models by a bought one. Together we calculated that for size and easiness to do, a sponge would match more or less with the price of the figure he sent me, the Yujin Chinese softshell turtle, for making a fair trade.

Here is the sponge, species Aplysina fistularis, more or less at 1:12 scale:




I hope he will receive the sponge soon.

But yesterday I received the turtle and today I opened the envelope. I asked my friend first for a comparison photo with another figure I have, but even with this I'm very bad calculating sizes, and the result is, as I feared, too big to my taste. My friend offered me the turtle because he substituted it by the infinitely better Ikimon/Kitan Club Chinese softshell turtle:



that was once for a brief epoch in my wishlist but that I rejected years ago due to excessive size. For a while I tought that the Yujin one is smaller than the Ikimon and hence, despite the much less detail in sculpt and paintjob, I could accept it, but it turned that both figures have the same size, according to my collector friend. I already have some turtles and tortoises that are way bigger than I would wish, but for this species, one of the smallest of the softshell turtles with a maximum carapace lenght of 33 cm, this figure is way excessive.



The style is recogizable as Yujin for those that have other Yujin turtles: certainly the same style than my matamata. The plastron is totally flat and featureless. The figure is not bad, and indeed recognizable as a Chinese softshell after comparison photos with the real animal.


A characteristic of this figure is that it seems to have the mouth wrongly sculpted. The softshell turtles have a species of "upper lips" with a deep sulcus between it at the cheeks, giving the impression of a "false mouth" while the true mouth are under it:


However in the figure the sulcus seems so deep that clearly is sculpted at the mouth, while the true moth joint line is much less marked:

[Isidro]

But I don't let the size feature to stop me! I just needed to customize it into a larger species of softshell turtle!

After carefully investigating the Trionychidae family, I rejected the giants (Chitra, Pelochelys, Rafetus), for which this figure would be too small, and I chosed instead an intermediate-sized one: my favourite genus of the family, Nilssonia. It's my favourite because of the striking pattern in the carapace of juveniles. However, adults lose this ornament. I decided to do anyway and put an intermediate-stage with remnants of the juvenile ocelli in the carapace, with ocelli still present but much smaller in proportion to the carapace, as if just about to be lost.

Within the genus, I decided for the Ganges flapshell turtle, Nilssonia gangetica. This species reach a carapace lenght of up to 90 centimeters, three times larger than the Chinese softshell so it's perfectly adecuate for a figure of the size of the Yujin rendition.

I've added the paste for change the carapace sculpt, mainly based in this wikipedia illustration:





I also added claws for the first two digits of forelegs, so it can match better with this image of Nilssonia gangetica I've found:



Then it comes the painting! Easier to tell than to do, hehe. This species may show a very intrincated microreticulated pattern that I failed to do properly, but I'm still pleased with the result.





I also added the lips for make the mouth in the proper position:



I left the underside mainly untouched except for a few colour touch in legs and neck. I know the plastron should be smaller in a Nilssonia, leaving exposed more of the hind legs and tail zone, but I tought that this detail is not so important as it is not seen in the displaying figure.

[Isidro]

And now here compared with my other freshwater turtles:



And also, it joins the Endangered Ganges Aquatic Critters Club. Ganges flapshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) from Yujin Chinese softshell turtle, plus Ganges Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (Papo) and Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) (CollectA).

Pssst, Safari LTD, next year you could release a nice Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus) too. Just saying

[BlueKrono]

Very successful with that pattern!

[JimoAi]

It's not a bait click title, it's just that my trades are just this unconventional!

I did a trade with a collector friend, one of my homemade models by a bought one. Together we calculated that for size and easiness to do, a sponge would match more or less with the price of the figure he sent me, the Yujin Chinese softshell turtle, for making a fair trade.

Here is the sponge, species Aplysina fistularis, more or less at 1:12 scale:




I hope he will receive the sponge soon.

But yesterday I received the turtle and today I opened the envelope. I asked my friend first for a comparison photo with another figure I have, but even with this I'm very bad calculating sizes, and the result is, as I feared, too big to my taste. My friend offered me the turtle because he substituted it by the infinitely better Ikimon/Kitan Club Chinese softshell turtle:



that was once for a brief epoch in my wishlist but that I rejected years ago due to excessive size. For a while I tought that the Yujin one is smaller than the Ikimon and hence, despite the much less detail in sculpt and paintjob, I could accept it, but it turned that both figures have the same size, according to my collector friend. I already have some turtles and tortoises that are way bigger than I would wish, but for this species, one of the smallest of the softshell turtles with a maximum carapace lenght of 33 cm, this figure is way excessive.



The style is recogizable as Yujin for those that have other Yujin turtles: certainly the same style than my matamata. The plastron is totally flat and featureless. The figure is not bad, and indeed recognizable as a Chinese softshell after comparison photos with the real animal.


A characteristic of this figure is that it seems to have the mouth wrongly sculpted. The softshell turtles have a species of "upper lips" with a deep sulcus between it at the cheeks, giving the impression of a "false mouth" while the true mouth are under it:


However in the figure the sulcus seems so deep that clearly is sculpted at the mouth, while the true moth joint line is much less marked:

It's the sponge that SpongeBob is based on

[Isidro]

Quite improbable, to not say impossible. Spongebob is based in a synthetic bath sponge, hence the square form, and synthetic bath sponges are based on Spongia officinalis that was used for bathrooms. The Spongebob's parents are Spongia officinalis and retain the irregular shape.

[JimoAi]

Quite improbable, to not say impossible. Spongebob is based in a synthetic bath sponge, hence the square form, and synthetic bath sponges are based on Spongia officinalis that was used for bathrooms. The Spongebob's parents are Spongia officinalis and retain the irregular shape.

It's confirmed that SpongeBob was based on this particular species stylized to look like a kitchen sponge. It's on Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aplysina_fistularis

[Isidro]

The link you provided me doesn't confirm anything. And the inspiration for the character is as I said, if it's possible to talk about serious biology regarding a series where a crab is the father of a sperm whale.

[JimoAi]

The link you provided me doesn't confirm anything. And the inspiration for the character is as I said, if it's possible to talk about serious biology regarding a series where a crab is the father of a sperm whale.

The creator based SpongeBob off a yellow tube sponge which eh stylises to look like a kitchen sponge and this the only thing transferred from the real animal to the character is the yellow color. Squidward is an anthropomorphic Giant Pacific octopus who is teal instead of read and is stylised to have 6 arms for easier animation is another examplw

[Isidro]

The creator was very probable unaware of the existence of concrete species of sponges, and even less of Aplysina fistularis. And the (totally wrong) association of the comic character with this species comes not from the creator but from a performer of a very posterior show based in the series. There is no reason for suppose that Squidward is a Giant Pacific octopus or not even an octopus. Probably the creator of characters was also unaware of the existence of Giant Pacific octopus. More probably Squidward intend to represent a squid, hence its name.

[BlueKrono]

The creator was very probable unaware of the existence of concrete species of sponges, and even less of Aplysina fistularis. And the (totally wrong) association of the comic character with this species comes not from the creator but from a performer of a very posterior show based in the series. There is no reason for suppose that Squidward is a Giant Pacific octopus or not even an octopus. Probably the creator of characters was also unaware of the existence of Giant Pacific octopus. More probably Squidward intend to represent a squid, hence its name.

The creator of Sponge Bob has a degree in marine biology and besides being an artist is also a marine science educator. Species like nematodes, vampire squids, yeti crabs and nudibranches make appearances on the show. He has confirmed SpongeBob's species as Aplysina fistularis and that Squidward is an octopus (there are also squid people in the show).

[bmathison1972]

The creator was very probable unaware of the existence of concrete species of sponges, and even less of Aplysina fistularis. And the (totally wrong) association of the comic character with this species comes not from the creator but from a performer of a very posterior show based in the series. There is no reason for suppose that Squidward is a Giant Pacific octopus or not even an octopus. Probably the creator of characters was also unaware of the existence of Giant Pacific octopus. More probably Squidward intend to represent a squid, hence its name.

The creator of Sponge Bob has a degree in marine biology and besides being an artist is also a marine science educator. Species like nematodes, vampire squids, yeti crabs and nudibranches make appearances on the show. He has confirmed SpongeBob's species as Aplysina fistularis and that Squidward is an octopus (there are also squid people in the show).

[JimoAi]

There are sea bunny sea slugs in the later seasons. As wacky and filled with nautical nonsense, this franchised shaped my love for these underwater creatures and without this show and creator Stephen hillenburg, I probably wouldn't like these animals as much or be in this hobby. It's a shame that the creator has passed on and the show has dipped in quality

[Isidro]

The creator was very probable unaware of the existence of concrete species of sponges, and even less of Aplysina fistularis. And the (totally wrong) association of the comic character with this species comes not from the creator but from a performer of a very posterior show based in the series. There is no reason for suppose that Squidward is a Giant Pacific octopus or not even an octopus. Probably the creator of characters was also unaware of the existence of Giant Pacific octopus. More probably Squidward intend to represent a squid, hence its name.

The creator of Sponge Bob has a degree in marine biology and besides being an artist is also a marine science educator. Species like nematodes, vampire squids, yeti crabs and nudibranches make appearances on the show. He has confirmed SpongeBob's species as Aplysina fistularis and that Squidward is an octopus (there are also squid people in the show).

Wow, I never could have imagined that  . Are you sure that youre talking about the creator of the SpongeBob series and characters, and not the creator of the much posterior SpongeBob show, that is what according to Wikipedia is the source of the identification of the main character with this sponge species?

Edit: I informed myself and indeed, is the creator of the character and series who is a marine biologist. Incredible turn of events for me  and I must apologize about my doubts 
Then for sure he knows well the species of sponges and octopus, but I'm really still completely unable to see how SpongeBob can be based in any real species of sponge. It's like thinking if a bongo musical instrument is based on a subspecies of bongo antelope

[BlueKrono]

I thought I could shed some light with 5 minutes of Googling. You're right, SpongeBob doesn't look like anything so much as a square kitchen sponge. Perhaps when asked about it the creator just named a real sponge species he knew was yellow? 🤷🏻‍♂️

It's like somebody asking the creator of Barney the dinosaur which species he was supposed to depict and her saying Carcharadontosaurus. Who's to say otherwise?

[bmathison1972]

back to the topic at hand, that homemeade Aplysina fistularis is very nice. To my knowledge there are no extant sponge figures (except for those that are part of bases or dioramas). The only sponge figure I know of is the extinct Vauxia by Safari.

[RtasVadumee]

We actually never talked about that Isidro, but I especially commissioned this sponge species because it was Spongebob's.

[Isidro]

Wooow, very very welcome to the forum my dear Rtas!!! I hope you will participate often here!