It doesn’t look like the real thing!
WORD HUNT
In the article, find:
WORD HUNT
In the article, find:
At first glance, the shark emoji above looks . . . like a shark. Sharp teeth. Forked tail. Pointy fin on its back.
But to Emily Simpson, who works at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, the emoji did not look the same as a real shark. Most sharks are gray or brown, not blue like the emoji. And they don’t have just one side fin—they have two!
Simpson posted about the flaws on social media. Now the aquarium worker is on a mission: to make emojis of all ocean wildlife as authentic as possible.
At first glance, the shark emoji above looks . . . like a shark. Sharp teeth. Forked tail. Pointy fin on its back.
But not to Emily Simpson, who works at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Simpson noticed that the emoji did not look the same as a real shark. Most sharks are gray or brown, not blue like the emoji. And they don’t have just one side fin. They have two!
Not Just Sharks
The shark emoji wasn’t the only emoji with faults. Simpson also noticed that the octopus emoji had eyes in the middle of its face. Real octopuses have an eye on each side of their face to help them spot predators. And the pufferfish emoji looked all spiky and puffed up. But in real life, pufferfish puff up only when they are scared.
After Simpson pointed out the blunders online, tech companies that design emojis, like Apple and Google, took notice. They worked with Simpson to make the colorful symbols more faithful.
Today the shark emoji on your phone or tablet is gray and has two side fins. And on many devices, the octopus emoji has eyes where they should be. As for the pufferfish? “Unfortunately, the poor puffer remains stressed out,” Simpson says.
Simpson posted about the flaws on social media. Now the aquarium worker is determined to make emojis of all ocean wildlife look as authentic as possible.
The shark emoji wasn’t the only one with faults. Simpson also noticed the octopus emoji. Its eyes were in the middle of its face. Real octopuses have an eye on each side of their face. That helps them spot predators. And the pufferfish emoji looked all spiky and puffed up. But in real life, pufferfish puff up only when they’re scared.
Simpson pointed out the blunders online. And tech companies that design emojis, like Apple and Google, took notice. They worked with Simpson to make the colorful symbols more faithful.
Today the shark emoji on your phone or tablet is gray and has two side fins. And on many devices, the octopus emoji has eyes where they should be. As for the pufferfish? “Unfortunately, the poor puffer remains stressed out,” Simpson says.
Shutterstock.com
Left: the octopus before
Middle: the octopus after
Right: The pufferfish wasn’t changed!
Most Popular
Why is it important to have precise emojis? Well, emojis are one of the most popular ways we communicate. Ninety-two percent of people online use them. Emojis help us express how we’re feeling when the person we’re talking to digitally can’t see or hear us. Sometimes the images are used to replace written words altogether.
So it’s key that emojis represent all kinds of things, people, and animals as accurately as possible. And to Emily Simpson, that’s especially true for the creatures swimming in our seas.
“Emojis can change the way we think about animals in the ocean,” Simpson says.
Why is it important to have precise emojis? Well, emojis are one of the most popular ways we communicate. Ninety-two percent of people online use them. Emojis help us express our feelings when the person we’re talking to digitally can’t see or hear us. Sometimes the images are used to replace written words altogether.
So it’s key that emojis represent all kinds of things, people, and animals as accurately as possible. For Emily Simpson, that’s especially true for the creatures in our seas.
“Emojis can change the way we think about animals in the ocean,” Simpson says.
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph explaining why it’s important to have accurate emojis.
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph explaining why it’s important to have accurate emojis.
This article was originally published in the May/June 2025 issue.
This article was originally published in the May/June 2025 issue.
