# Colymbosathon ecplecticos, or you can't make this stuff up. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 4, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006 "2003-12-04T20:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/1 "2003-12-04T20:21:19Z")
From [this article](http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=3940653§ion=news) : > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fossil crustacean whose scientific name is “swimmer with a large penis” is the earliest clear example of a male animal, British researchers reported on Thursday. > > It shows that ostracodes – extremely common water-dwelling creatures – have evolved little in hundreds of millions of years, said David Siveter of the University of Leicester. > > He and colleagues named it **Colymbosathon ecplecticos** , which means **"swimmer with a large penis."** > > Siveter, in a telephone interview, said the 0.2-inch creature probably lived on marine shelves, about 500 to 650 feet deep. > > “This crustacean clearly could swim,” said Siveter. > > And there was another striking feature, he added. > > “It is certainly the oldest penis in the world, that’s for certain.” It speaks for itself, I only wish they’d included a picture so I could’ve gazed upon the world’s oldest, best preserved, largest fossil crustacean penis. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@That\_Insufferable\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Insufferable_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/2 "2003-12-04T20:23:10Z")
I knew that photographer was up to no good. I’m done with speedos ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/3 "2003-12-04T20:24:03Z")
I wonder which part of Colymbosathon ecplecticos means “large penis” and then I wonder who is going to change their user name first. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/4 "2003-12-04T20:30:21Z")
You want a picture? [Here you go](http://www.msnbc.com/news/1000901.asp?0dm=C21AT). ---
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/5 "2003-12-04T20:37:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ponder Stibbons \* > \*\*You want a picture? [Here you go](http://www.msnbc.com/news/1000901.asp?0dm=C21AT). \*\* Nice pictures, but I like the decription: > [@](#): > > The creature’s copulatory organ is a shadowy orange part toward the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/6 "2003-12-04T22:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ponder Stibbons \* > \*\*You want a picture? [Here you go](http://www.msnbc.com/news/1000901.asp?0dm=C21AT). \*\* Well, my ghawd… The person who named that flea-looking thing was clearly delusional. That penis can’t be any larger than half a millimeter. Mine’s about 300 times as big as that. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colymbosathon-ecplecticos-or-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/217006/7 "2003-12-05T02:40:44Z")
Some crustacean authority in Britain said on NPR today, this is all over the science news mostly because of the penis bit. I know _I_ was just itching to post a thread titled “astounding swimmer with a large penis”, which is the phrase I keep seeing today. The Telegraph headline was “425m-year-old penis found”. No, indeed you can’t make this stuff up! 😃