Skip to content

Southern Fried Science

Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS

Project S – The creation of the Rimicanoe

Posted on May 26, 2010May 27, 2010 By Andrew Thaler 6 Comments on Project S – The creation of the Rimicanoe
Science
Rimicaris exoculata

Rimicaris exoculata, the eyeless vent shrimp is an iconic member of hydrothermal vent communities on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The shrimp is characterized by a lack of eyes, an enlarged carapace, chemoautotrophic symbionts that they farm in their gills, and, most curiously, large photoreceptors on the top of its carapace. A solution to the mysterious eyespots was first hypothesized by Cindy Lee Van Dover, who inferred that Rimicaris exoculata can “see” low-level light produced by hydrothermal vent effluent.

Iconic, novel, biologically fascinating; of all the adjectives I can think of to describe Rimicaris exoculata, the one that jumps immediately to mind is sort-of-canoe-shaped. In fact, it’s so sort-of-canoe-shaped that this hydrothermal vent shrimp needs to have a canoe made in its image.

Presenting the grand unveiling of Project S – the Rimicanoe (sensu strictissimo Rimicaris exocu-yacht-a)!

Project S revealed! The <i>Rimicanoe</i>
Project S revealed! The Rimicanoe!

Rimicanoe began as a scale model in cardboard and evolved into a stitch-and-glue plywood masterpiece of shear geekery.

The scale concept model

The incredibly unwieldy watercraft comes complete with enlarged carapace, segments, and eyespots:

For detecting hydrothermal vents

The vessel’s fantail is, well, an actual fantail:

signed by my awesome 5-person build team

Thanks to my build team: Kevin (and Elliot), William, David H., and Amy!

~Southern Fried Scientist

And Happy Birthday Cindy!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related

Tags: canoe Project S Rimicanoe Rimicaris exoculata

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Elasmobranch diversity
Next Post: Charlie and the Adventure: May 27, 2010 ❯

You may also like

Weekly Salvage
Voyaging canoes, failed sea-steading sea states, breaching ocean plastic, deep-sea mining, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: July 2, 2018
July 2, 2018
Weekly Salvage
SeaWorld versus OSHA versus Brett Kavanaugh, sea lions and sucker punches, this dumpster whale is all of us, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: October 1, 2018.
October 1, 2018
Popular Culture
Five more marine organisms that put their superhero counterparts to shame
April 17, 2013
Weekly Salvage
Deep-sea Disco, Giant Icebergs, Pokémon Go, and more! Monday Morning Salvage: April 24, 2017
April 24, 2017

6 thoughts on “Project S – The creation of the Rimicanoe”

  1. Glendon Mellow says:
    May 26, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    Awesome! Now you just need a giant souther fried mermaid on the prow.

  2. Chuck says:
    May 26, 2010 at 11:32 pm

    How’s she handle?

  3. Southern Fried Scientist says:
    May 26, 2010 at 11:50 pm

    not well

  4. Joy K. says:
    June 14, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    This is wonderful. I can’t even describe just how wonderful.

    I don’t suppose you have any friends named “Tyler”? Then we could have “Rimicanoe and Tyler, too.”

Comments are closed.

Recent Popular Posts

The story of the pride flag made from NASA imagery: Bluesky's most-liked imageThe story of the pride flag made from NASA imagery: Bluesky's most-liked imageSeptember 27, 2024David Shiffman
Marine Biology Career AdviceMarine Biology Career AdviceMay 30, 2025David Shiffman
Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryShark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryAugust 10, 2014Michelle Jewell
I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.June 21, 2021Andrew Thaler
Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)September 7, 2010Andrew Thaler
UN Ocean Conference Manu ChampionshipUN Ocean Conference Manu ChampionshipJune 5, 2025Angelo Villagomez
What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?November 8, 2013David Shiffman
What is a Sand Shark?What is a Sand Shark?November 12, 2017Chuck Bangley
A quick and dirty guide to making custom feeds on BlueskyA quick and dirty guide to making custom feeds on BlueskyFebruary 7, 2024Andrew Thaler
Woodworking off the grid: upgrades to my DIY solar workshopWoodworking off the grid: upgrades to my DIY solar workshopFebruary 17, 2023Andrew Thaler
Subscribe to our RSS Feed for updates whenever new articles are published.

We recommend Feedly for RSS management. It's like Google Reader, except it still exists.

Southern Fried Science

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS


If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to our Patreon campaign.

Copyright © 2025 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown