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Who is Ivan?
Ivan is a sea urchin character from the movie Surf's Up (2007). In the film, Ivan is known for his sharp remarks and sarcastic personality, making him a fitting and memorable character despite his limited screen time. While he's canonically a fire urchin, the film never clarifies what the scientific name of his species is. This is significant because while common names are often region-specific and somewhat ambiguous, scientific names are universally recognized and standardized. That's to say, distinct species often share common names, and the same species often has multiple common names depending on region and local dialects. Naturally, this raises the question: What species of urchin is Ivan exactly?
Similar Looking Urchins
Notes on Ivan's Morphology and Anatomy
long, fragile spines
bright red spines with lighter-colored bands
dark, relatively spherical test
venomous
inconspicuous tube feet and pedicellariae
Hatpin Urchin (Centrostephanus longispinus)
Range: Mediterranean Sea
Long, thin, warm-toned spines with light colored bands, a dark test, and inconspicuous tube feet. Species is known to be venomous, with a painful sting.
[unnamed] (Diadema sp.)
Range: discovered in Hawai‘i, extent of range unknown
Long, thin, bright red spines with a dark test and inconspicuous tube feet. Genus Diamema implies the urchin is likely venomous with relatively fragile spines.
Where is Ivan?
While there are certainly a few species with remarkably similar morphology to that of Ivan, an important part of species identification is understanding the geography and geology of the specimen's natural environment.
Ivan is from the coastal waters of Pen Gu Island, home to local tribes of penguins, and the iconic setting for the annual Big Z Memorial Surf Off - a world-renowned surf competition featuring top penguin surfers. Although Pen Gu Island is not canonically based off a particular region, making it difficult to pinpoint a location, we can take what we do know of the island to guess possible sources of inspiration.
Towering cliffs, rocky outcroppings reminiscent of basalt, and lush, tropical greenery characterize Pen Gu Island's terrain, with beaches dotted with smooth stones and dramatic rock formations. The film's depiction aligns with real-world volcanic islands, particularly those formed in the Ring of Fire through tectonic plate movement and subduction zones. Some locations of geological interest include Taiwan, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
➤ Penghu Islands, Taiwan
The Penghu Islands are located just off the west coast of Taiwan. While the Penghu Islands are far too north to host wild populations of penguins, the strikingly similar name, along with its geology and proximity to the Ring of Fire, make the islands too intriguing not to explore further.
The Penghu Islands are known for their unique geology, with massive coastal cliff sides of basalt - hallmarks of volcanic action and island geology in the Ring of Fire - almost identical to the upper coast of Pen Gu Island.
Collector Urchin (Tripneustes gratilla)
Range: Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea to the Hawaiian Islands, including Australia
While not particularly similar in appearance, the collector urchin is a very common species of urchin off the coast of the Penghu Islands, often harvested for their delicious uni. Locally, this urchin often has bright red spines similar to Ivan.
Black Longspine Urchin (Diadema setosum)
Range: east coast of Africa and the Red Sea to Japan and Australia
Another venomous Diadema of interest, the black longspine urchin has remarkably similar morphology to that of Ivan, with long, thin spines and a spherical test. However, unlike Ivan's strikingly red spines, this species is dark in coloration.
➤ Stewart Island, New Zealand
Also in the Ring of Fire, Stewart Island off the coast of New Zealand is another location of interest. Much farther south than Taiwan, New Zealand is actually known to be home to a few species of penguins, similar to the penguin residents of Pen Gu Island.
The Native Pen-Guin Tribes
Pen Gu Island is home to tribes of native Pen-Guins, who are canonically fairy penguins (Eudyptula minor) - a species native to New Zealand and parts of Australia. The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is a species endemic to New Zealand, and one once thought to be closely related to fairy penguins. While far from conclusive, this lends to the intrigue of New Zealand, and especially Stewart Island, as possible inspiration for Pen Gu Island.
Yellow-eyed Penguins in New Zealand
Collector Urchin (Tripneustes gratilla)
Range: Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea to the Hawaiian Islands, including Australia
The same urchin found along the coast of the Penghu Islands are also found off the coast of New Zealand! Like the ones found in Penghu, collector urchins off the coast of New Zealand can also be found with uniquely brightly colored spines.
Tuberculate Urchin (Heliocidaris tuberculata)
Range: West Pacific Ocean, Australia and New Zealand
A relatively common species of urchin in New Zealand is the tuberculate urchin. This urchin has iconically bright red spines with a dark test, similar to Ivan's vibrant coloration.
➤ Palawan, Philippines
Palawan is part of the Palawan Microcontinental Block - a fragment of continental crust that separated from mainland Asia. This distinct geological origin sets Palawan apart from the more volcanically active islands in the Philippine arc. Palawan's tropical landscape is characterized by rugged limestone karst formations, remnants of ancient coral reefs that were uplifted through tectonic movements. Despite lacking volcanic origin, Palawan still has impressive cliff sides and lush greenery, strikingly reminiscent of the upper coast of Pen Gu Island.
Black Longspine Urchin (Diadema setosum)
Range: east coast of Africa and the Red Sea to Japan and Australia
The black longspine urchin of Taiwan is also found farther south in the Philippines! To rehash, this venemous urchin has very similar morphology to that of Ivan, with long, thin spines and a spherical test. However, unlike Ivan's strikingly red spines, this species is dark in coloration.
Fire Urchin (Astropyga radiata)
Range: Indo-Pacific Region, East Africa to the Philipines to Hawai‘i
AN ACTUAL FIRE URCHIN (and, for the record, the first urchin I looked into when starting this project)! Sharing a common name with Ivan, this urchin is perhaps one of the closest matches to Ivan. Though lacking Ivan's long, bright red spines with dark test, this urchin does have very vibrant coloration, with distinct bands on the spines. Known to be venomous.
Fire Urchin (Asthenosoma varium)
Range: eastern Indian Ocean to Japan, the Philippines, and New Caledonia
ANOTHER fire urchin! Remarkably similar to the other Filipino fire urchin, this urchin also has bright coloration with banded spines. However, this urchin has much shorter spines relative to the test, making it not as close of a match to Ivan. Known to be venomous.
The Verdict
Diadema sp.
Fire Urchin (Astropyga radiata)
Based on the various criteria explored through this project, including morphology, toxicity, and environmental geography and geology, I'd say Ivan is either A. radiata - a fire urchin - or a species in the genus Diadema. While A. radiata of course shares a common name with Ivan's canonical species, it's pretty morphologically distinct from Ivan as depicted in the film. Diadema serves as a much closer morphological match, with long, thin spines, a small spherical test, and inconspicuous tube feet. While Ivan isn't necessarily the Diadema species depicted above, this unidentified species demonstrates that it's definitely possible for species in the genus Diadema to be such a vibrant red color. Furthermore, geographically speaking, Hawai‘i and the Philippines are both tropical islands with steep cliff sides and lively coral reefs, and may have served as inspiration for Pen Gu Island, making both these species even more likely candidates.
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