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Dr. John Zoidberg is a fictional character in the television series Futurama. He is an alien of primarily lobster-like form, though sharing many traits with octopuses and squids. The character traveled to thirty-first century Earth from the planet Decapod 10. On Futurama, he serves as staff doctor for Planet Express, even though he knows very little about the physiology of humans. Zoidberg is voiced by Billy West and speaks with a Yiddish-inflected accent. This article is about the television series. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Doctor John Zoidberg, a Decapodian. ... Doctor Zoidberg, a Decapodian. ... This article is about the television series. ... Space Pilot 3000 is the pilot episode of Futurama, which originally aired in North America on March 28, 1999. ... The Series Has Landed, alternatively titled Episode Two: The Series Has Landed, is the second episode of the first season of Futurama. ... For the silent film-era actor, see Billy West (silent film actor). ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... This article is about the television series. ... Green people redirects here. ... Subfamilies and Genera Neophoberinae Acanthacaris Thymopinae Nephropsis Nephropides Thymops Thymopsis Nephropinae Homarus Nephrops Homarinus Metanephrops Eunephrops Thymopides Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. ... For other uses, see Octopus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Squid (disambiguation). ... Doctor Zoidberg, a Decapodian. ... For the silent film-era actor, see Billy West (silent film actor). ... Yiddish (ייִדיש, Jiddisch) is a Germanic language spoken by about four million Jews throughout the world. ...

Character development

The name Zoidberg comes from a game that David X. Cohen made in high school called Zoid, based on the game Qix.^[1] The game was rejected by Broderbund.^[1] David X. Cohen (born 1966), born David Samuel Cohen, is an American television writer. ... Qix (pronounced kiks) is an arcade game, released by Taito America Corporation in 1981. ... Brøderbund (Danish for band of brothers) is a maker of computer games and educational software that was founded by Doug and Gary Carlston in 1980. ...

One inspiration for Zoidberg was that he be the opposite of Dr McCoy on Star Trek. Whereas Dr. McCoy is a human who is often called upon to medically assist unfamiliar alien races (a task which he generally excels at), Zoidberg is an alien who constantly treats humans, whose anatomy and physiology he is unfamiliar with^[2][1], and overall does a very poor job of it. Dr. Leonard H. McCoy (nicknamed Bones), played by DeForest Kelley, is a character in the original Star Trek series, and the first six Star Trek films. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

Billy West came up with Dr. Zoidberg's voice, which is inspired by actors Lou Jacobi and George Jessel.^[3] Lou Jacobi (born December 28, 1913 in Toronto, Canada) is a character actor. ... George Jessel (April 3, 1898–May 23, 1981) was a U.S. actor, singer, songwriter, and movie producer. ...

In Hongkong (Cantonese Version) Dr. Zoidberg's was voiced by James Kazama (占士 卡查馬)[1]

Anatomy

Zoidberg is shown to have multiple redundant organs as he undergoes a live alien autopsy and survives the removal of several of his organs, including one of his four hearts, in the episode Roswell That Ends Well. In A Taste of Freedom he remarks, in the court scene, that two of his three hearts is having a heart attack. The term alien autopsy is used within the UFOlogical community to refer to the supposed examination of an extraterrestrial cadaver by government authorities. ... Roswell That Ends Well is the nineteenth episode of the third production season of the TV show Futurama. ... A Taste of Freedom is the fifth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama. ... Heart attack redirects here. ...

Early life

The series gives conflicting accounts of Zoidberg's childhood. In "A Taste of Freedom", he is seen in child form; but in "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles", when the crew reverts to their younger selves, he goes through rapid larval stages, including stages where he resembles a cuttlefish, slug, trilobite, clam, lamprey, anglerfish, sea urchin, starfish, sea anemone, and sea sponge, before growing into his present form. (When the crew were initially reverse-aged, they were 14 years old, so Zoidberg's form above might be post adolescence.) His age is never revealed in the series. While still a youngster on Decapod 10, Zoidberg was supposedly bullied by a hermit crab named Vinnie in a tide pool, further reinforcing the notion that Zoidberg has developed through larval stages. A Taste of Freedom is the fifth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Television episodes. ... A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Orders and Families †Vasseuriina †Vasseuriidae †Belosepiellidae Sepiina †Belosaepiidae Sepiadariidae Sepiidae Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses). ... This article is about land slugs. ... For the robot vacuum cleaner, see Electrolux Trilobite. ... For other uses, see Clam (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Lamprey (disambiguation). ... Suborders Antennarioidei Lophioidei Ogcocephalioidei See text for families. ... Subclasses Subclass Perischoechinoidea Order Cidaroida (pencil urchins) Subclass Euechinoidea Superorder Atelostomata Order Cassiduloida Order Spatangoida (heart urchins) Superorder Diadematacea Order Diadematoida Order Echinothurioida Order Pedinoida Superorder Echinacea Order Arbacioida Order Echinoida Order Phymosomatoida Order Salenioida Order Temnopleuroida Superorder Gnathostomata Order Clypeasteroida (sand dollars) Order Holectypoida Wikispecies has information related to... Orders Brisingida (100 species[1]) Forcipulatida (300 species[2]) Paxillosida (255 species[3]) Notomyotida (75 species[4]) Spinulosida (120 species[5]) Valvatida (695 species[6]) Velatida (200 species[7]) For other uses, see Starfish (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text. ... Classes Calcarea Hexactinellida Demospongiae The sponges or poriferans (from Latin porus pore and ferre to bear) are animals of the phylum Porifera. ... Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infra-order Paguroidea, distinct from the true crabs in the infra-order Brachyura. ...

Family

Zoidberg is the nephew of Harold Zoid, the famous silent hologram comedian, whose name is a play on both Harold Lloyd and the former practice of Jewish actors changing their names. Although Zoidberg is not human, let alone Jewish, he and his species have characteristics that are stereotypically Ashkenazic Jewish, including an Eastern European Yiddish-inflected accent. He has three parents: Norm, Sam, and Sadie. It is likely that two are his biological parents (the episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" indicates Decapodians only have two parents, who die during mating) and one is the woman who raised him (seen in "A Taste of Freedom"). He has a cousin named Zoidfarb. He also appears to have several siblings who budded from him in his sea sponge phase, including a brother called Norman ("Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles"). Thats Lobstertainment! is the 8th episode in season 3 of Futurama. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... This article is about the photographic technique. ... Harold Clayton Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American film actor and director, most famous for his silent comedies. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי, Standard Hebrew Aškanazi, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzî) Jews or Ashkenazic Jews, also called Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, Standard Hebrew Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzîm), are Jews who are descendants of Jews from Germany, Poland, Austria and Eastern Europe. ... Yiddish (ייִדיש, Jiddisch) is a Germanic language spoken by about four million Jews throughout the world. ... Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love is episode five in season two of Futurama. ... A Taste of Freedom is the fifth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Television episodes. ...

Current life

As a doctor

Zoidberg is an old friend of Professor Farnsworth, and is the staff physician at Planet Express. Although he claims expertise in human medicine, his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is repeatedly depicted to be poor; he's mistaken Fry for a woman and a robot (which he pronounces [roʊbɨt], as did the writer Isaac Asimov in the audio tape versions of his books), which is frequently how he refers to Bender), plus the chart of human anatomy on his office wall is upside-down. He is often confused by the "strange" features of humans, such as their skeletal system, lack of multiple mouths, or the fact that blood is thicker than water (literally or metaphorically). He believes that humans have dorsal fins, that the heart is part of the digestive system, that humans are susceptible to fin rot, and even that the human gonads are in the neck; he has also alluded to forgetting that humans possess bones on more than one occasion. When he operates on the staff, he makes spectacular mistakes, such as attaching Fry’s severed arm onto the shoulder of his other arm. In "Parasites Lost", it is shown that Zoidberg has gleaned more information on anatomy through television commercials than through academic study. He is only directly questioned about his medical expertise in "A Clone of My Own", in which he claims unconvincingly that he lost his medical degree in a volcano. He also once made the claim that just because he thought he was a doctor, that didn't make him one, his fancy clothes did. This article is about modern humans. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Philip J. Fry is the protagonist of the animated television series Futurama and is voiced by Billy West. ... For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... Isaac Asimov (January 2?, 1920?[1] – April 6, 1992), pronounced , originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов [1], was a Russian-born American author and professor of biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. ... Bender, full name Bender Bending Rodríguez or designated Bending Unit 22, is a fictional robot character in the animated television series Futurama. ... For other uses, see Skeleton (disambiguation). ... Dorsal fin of an orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the (extinct) ichthyosaurs. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... what was here was sick and improperly spelled. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... A miserable stubborn cantankerous old mans, whos actually quite good humoured & an enjoyable compadre to play online alongside if you catch him on a good day. ... Parasites Lost is the 2nd episode in series 3 of Futurama. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A Clone of My Own is episode ten in season two of Futurama. ... Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ...

Zoidburg does show some skill in reattaching sever body parts. He reattached Hermes's head back to a doomed version of his body in reverse, having his head face backwards, in "Bender's Big Score". When Hermes realizes this and complains, Zoidberg exclaims, "I thought you were happy. Your tail is wagging." However, he proved the extent of his medical knowledge in "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", in which he was able to save Fry's life by attaching his head onto Amy's body, and at the middle of the episode, reattaching Fry's head to his own at the end. In the episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" he asks Fry whether or not disembowelment is fatal in humans. Futurama: Benders Big Score is the proposed name of the straight-to-DVD movie based on the animated series Futurama to be released around Christmas 2007. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... Put Your Head on My Shoulders is episode seven in season two of Futurama. ...

Other aspirations

Zoidberg loves stand-up comedy, and often tries to become a comedian at the apollo. He is, however, very bad, and his stand-up performances usually end in him being pelted with rubbish or dragged offstage. Many of his jokes are modeled on and parodies of Yakov Smirnoff’s jokes. ("Earth, what a planet! Here, you enjoy eating a tasty clam. On my planet, clams enjoy eating a tasty you!") B. J. Novak in a stand-up comedy routine at Olde English sketch comedy in June 2007. ... For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ... Yakov Smirnoff (Ukrainian: Яков Смирнов) (born January 24, 1951) is, according to his own description, a Ukrainian-born American comedian and painter. ... Yakov Smirnoff (Ukrainian: Яков Смирнов) (born January 24, 1951) is, according to his own description, a Ukrainian-born American comedian and painter. ... Russian reversal is a type of joke popularized by Yakov Smirnoff. ...

In addition to his medical qualifications, Zoidberg claims to have mail-order degrees in “Murderology” and “Murderonomy" (although this was revealed in a What-If Machine simulation and may not be canon). The cover of the first Eatons catalog, published in 1884. ... A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ...

Poverty

Although he is a doctor, Zoidberg lives in crushing poverty. He has no home of his own (instead living at the Planet Express building in the maternifuge) and cannot afford shoes, which is probably why he wears sandals. A boy from Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ... Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch is the first episode in season four of Futurama. ...

He is constantly hungry. He can only afford one "meal" a week, roughly the equivalent of a guinea pig. Although he prefers all types of seafood, he has an appetite for anything digestible. He often eats out of trash cans and has been shown eating a boot, a picnic basket, and a bag of Amy Wong's toenail clippings which he believes are potato chips under the claim that "a feast is a feast". He gets excited at the offer of free food and in one episode enters a pet show (pretending to be a "hard-shelled whooping terrier") to try and win a year’s supply of dog food. He starts twitching whenever someone mentions food. It's not clear whether this excitement is caused by his alien metabolism, his poverty, or both. Saratoga chips Potato chips (British English or Hiberno-English: crisps) are slim slices of potatoes deep fried or baked until crisp. ... In a dog show, judges familiar with specific dog breeds evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards, hence the more accurate term is conformation show (or, sometimes, breed show). ... For the computer jargon, see eating ones own dog food. ...

His poverty may spring from his belief that he is a shrewd investor when he is in fact, terrible with money. He regularly spends money on pointless purchases (such as eight copies of the same record) and makes bad business decisions, such as exchanging his (considerable) corporate stock for a sandwich (however, he later claims he would have settled for a hard roll with ketchup inside). It is later revealed that he owned 51% of Planet Express' stock at one point, having been given thousands of supposedly worthless stock certificates by Hermes Conrad, the bureaucrat of Planet Express, to use as toilet paper. Doctor Zoidberg complains of being denied credit in several episodes. Doctor Zoidberg harbors the incorrect belief that all medical professionals are as poor as he is (as he is severely underpaid). He also hates other medical professionals, and the very presence of another doctor will provoke him into picking a fight. For other uses, see Stock (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sandwich (disambiguation). ... Two rolls Bread Rolls at a bakery Bread Rolls in a basket A bread roll is a piece of bread, usually small and round and is commonly considered a side dish. ... For other uses, see Ketchup (disambiguation). ... Hermes Conrad is a character in the Futurama animated series. ... For the South Park episode, see Toilet Paper (South Park episode). ...

At work

Zoidberg seems to get along with his co-workers most of the time, though he is often treated like an annoying pet. He is frequently found in Professor Farnsworth’s laboratory and subsequently shooed away with a broom, etc. In particular, Hermes expresses his hatred of Zoidberg straightforwardly: calling him names, scapegoating him, ordering him to do menial jobs around the office, cutting his salary for various reasons, and eliminating his creature comforts such as the salt-water dispenser (Zoidberg's reaction: "This is a witch hunt!"). Zoidberg’s unpopularity in the office - which on one occasion even caused his overacting to be held personally responsible for causing Humanity to be deprived of an Omicronian recipe for Immortality - may be due to his being overshadowed by Fry, Leela, and Bender: when they are fired from Planet Express in the episode The Cryonic Woman, he becomes the most well-liked office worker. He claims that Fry is the only member of the Planet Express crew that has never struck him. Zoidberg is the only character to be judged "nice" by MomCorp's Robot Santa (who gives him a pogo stick); Robot Santa labels everyone else "naughty" and then tries to kill them. Farnsworth considers him strange, not because he is an alien, but because he wears sandals. A luxury sedan is an example of a luxury good. ... 1533 account of the execution of a witch charged with burning the town of Schiltach in 1531. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline for Television episodes. ... Futuramas recurring characters: // Kif Kroker Kif Kroker (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) - Alien assistant to Captain Zapp Brannigan and first officer of the Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP) starship Nimbus. ... An adult using a Pogo Stick A pogo stick is a device consisting of a pole with a handle at one end, footpads on the other and a spring which supports the stick and user when on the ground. ... Modern multi-colored Sandalette Yoga sandals In some parts of the United States, this type of sandal is referred to in slang as the mandal in that it is worn primarily by men. ...

Zoidberg has been known to squirt ink in someone's face as a defense mechanism, much like a squid. The ink always comes from off screen, so we never know exactly how it's ejected. In one episode, however, he writes a letter to his uncle using his own ink (to make it more personal). To fill the inkwell, he places it beneath his shirt, in his armpit. When frightened, he screams "Whoop whoop whoop!" (as a reference to the Three Stooges as stated in the DVD subtitles for English hearing impaired) He also has a gland that emits a foul odor when he is bored.

Loneliness

Zoidberg longs for attention and friendship and rejoices when these desires are fulfilled even slightly (He remarked in one episode, when asked to open a can of soup, "Hooray, I'm useful! I'm having a wonderful time!"). In the episode Where the buggalo roam, Zoidberg starts to act as if the Wongs are is his family, and thinks he is loved by them (ie: Amy's line: "They're not your parents, I'm not your sister and that's not your golf-cart). He is eventually hit with a moose head. He is always disappointed when people pay no attention to him. On the many occasions where something unfortunate happens to the Planet Express crew, its workers more often than not blame it on Zoidberg or punish him for it (on one occasion, when Leela is blinded and cannot take off the Planet Express ship properly, she crashes through the roof of the ship venue. Hermes, shocked at this, demands that the payment to have it mended will come out of Zoidberg's paycheck, causing Zoidberg to burst into tears.) Apart from his colleagues at work, he has very few friends and can't make new ones because he smells like garbage and has no personality (the only friends he is shown to have are possibly a Nautilus basketball player, who he played basketball in the gym with, two hungry hobos, a lobster he saw in a restaurant tank and later took out on a date, and his "pet" Slinky, which Bender straightened). The staff of Planet Express makes jokes at his expense and criticize him even when he is in the room. Zoidberg, however, never realizes that he is being ridiculed and even interprets insults as compliments (though in one episode, when Bender and Leela were discussing why Zoidberg is lonely, with Bender saying he was "desperately poor and miserably lonely" and Leela firing back "because he's hideous", Zoidberg hung his head in shame). Hermes seems to actively hate Zoidberg, such as saying that he was a parasite, believing that he's responsible for an upsurge in electricity use, and advocating that they eat him when the Planet Express ship is sunken at the bottom of the ocean. Of all the Planet Express crew, Fry is the only one to treat him decently. He considers Fry to be his best friend in the world, proclaiming in Bender's Big Score that he was the only member of the crew who never struck him. Additionally, Fry also tried to teach Zoidberg how to date, and once said that he thought Zoidberg was "cool". He also considers Bender a really good friend, even though Bender treats him very badly. Amy Wong (born August 4, 2980 [1]) is a fictional character, one of the main characters from the FOX television animated series Futurama. ... Genera Allonautilus Nautilus Nautilus (from Greek ναυτίλος, sailor) is the common name of any marine creatures of the cephalopod family Nautilidae, the sole family of the suborder Nautilina. ... Metal Slinky Rainbow-colored plastic Slinky A Slinky, or Lazy-Spring, is a coil-shaped toy invented by mechanical engineer Richard James in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Bender, full name Bender Bending Rodríguez or designated Bending Unit 22, is a fictional robot character in the animated television series Futurama. ... Hermes Conrad is a character in the Futurama animated series. ...

Jewish references

There are other ethnic references in Dr. Zoidberg's character. These allusions combine to suggest the culture of Ashkenazi Jews. His surname sounds as if it could be of German extraction, because berg is German for mountain and is a common suffix for German surnames, including those of German Jews. Zoidberg is a crustacean, and crustaceans are not kosher according to Judaism, which adds an extra layer of humor to Dr. Zoidberg’s character. On one occasion he is refused entry to a "Bot" Mitzvah reception (“No shellfish!” He is then shown commiserating briefly with a pig who was also denied entry). Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAÅ¡kănāzî, ʾAÅ¡kănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... For other uses, see Mountain (disambiguation). ... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (12 years and one day for girls, 13 years and one day for boys) that child becomes responsible for him/herself under Jewish law; at this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (בר מצווה, son of the commandment...

The other Decapodians seen on the show, such as Zoidberg’s Uncle Harold (voiced by the Simpsons' Hank Azaria) and the staff at the Decapodian embassy in Washington D.C. speak with very heavy Yiddish accents. The staff at the Decapodian embassy also use Yiddish words like "schlep," and the secretary is an example of a caring Jewish mother. His great uncle was a great Hollywood actor who changed his name to Harold Zoid, a reference to actors changing their names to make them sound less Jewish. In the episode "The Deep South" Fry tells Zoidberg they couldn't be seen together as Fry is "trying to join the country club" (although this could just be due to Zoidberg's extreme poverty and other severe deficiencies). Simpsons redirects here. ... Hank Albert Azaria (born April 25, 1964 in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, United States) is an American actor, director, comedian and voice artist. ... The Jewish mother stereotype is a common stereotype used by Jewish comedians, usually when discussing (fictionally or not) their mothers. ... ... This article is about the Futurama episode. ... Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism, also known as judeophobia) is prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a religious, racial, or ethnic group. ... A country club is a private club that offers a variety of recreational sports facilities to its members. ...

In "Fry and the Slurm Factory", Zoidberg is shown in the gift-shop of the Slurm soft drink factory wearing a t-shirt featuring the word "שׂלוּרם", which could be pronounced as "Slurm" in Hebrew. This parodies the Hebrew Coca-Cola t-shirts sold as souvenirs in the Jewish state of Israel. A more standard transliteration of "Slurm" into Hebrew would be "סלרם". The DVD commentary to the episode makes clear that the creators were unaware of this, as they lament the unavoidable similarity of their spelling to that of the Hebrew word for peace, "שׁלוֹם" (Shalom). Fry and the Slurm Factory is the thirteenth episode and season finale of season one of Futurama. ... Slurm is a fictional soft drink originating from the animated series Futurama. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ... Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ...

In the first Futurama full-length movie, Bender's Big Score, Dr. Zoidberg refers to his "tuchus", and congratulates Lars and Leela using the phrase Mazel Tov when they announce their sudden engagement. Futurama: Benders Big Score is the proposed name of the straight-to-DVD movie based on the animated series Futurama to be released around Christmas 2007. ... Futuramas recurring characters: Spoiler warning: // Richard Nixons head Richard Nixons head (voiced by Billy West) - after a millennium of being a disembodied head, Nixon has lost more than a few of his marbles. ... Turanga Leela (often referred to simply as Leela) (born A.D. 2975) is the primary female character in the animated television series Futurama. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

The Decapodians

Doctor Zoidberg’s race, the Decapodians, are aliens from the beachlike mud planet Decapod 10. This name is a reference to the scientific nomenclature of lobsters and crayfish as decapods, that is, creatures with ten legs. The actual physiology of Decapodians combines that of several different sea creatures. Dr. Zoidberg’s anatomy is similar to that of crustaceans, as he has chelae (pinchers) and a hard exoskeleton, hard enough to prevent it being punctured by a samurai sword in a seppuku attempt. The shell is also removeable, and Zoidberg often removes it when it gets too cramped. Unfortunately his fleshy, boneless inner body is considered by many to be quite disgusting. He also has many attributes of cephalopod mollusks, such as the tentacle-like protrusions covering his mouth (reminiscent of those of cuttlefish) and his ink gland, through which he occasionally expels ink when threatened (as do all Coleoidea); he uses this to "get my own ink for writing". He also coughs up blue pearls after ingesting “too much dirt”. He has also been shown to propel water from several unseen holes on his head. Throughout the series, Zoidberg usually refers to himself, and is referred to by others, as a lobster. In an early episode, Zoidberg falls in love with an actual lobster in a nightclub aquarium. In the episode "When Aliens Attack", he finds himself trapped in a lobster cage, but is rescued by Bender. He refers to himself self-deprecatingly as a squid ("Three Hundred Big Boys") commenting, "Oh, what a foolish squid I've been." In the episode "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" he declares that he is "friskier than a squid on Tuesday." In popular fiction and conspiracy theories, life forms, especially intelligent life forms, that are of extraterrestrial origin, i. ... Families Astacoidea   Astacidae   Cambaridae Parastacoidea   Parastacidae Crayfish, often referred to as crawfish, or crawdads, are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are closely related. ... Suborders Dendrobranchiata Pleocyemata See text for superfamilies. ... Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... An exoskeleton is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animals body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human. ... Hara-kiri redirects here. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... Orders and Families †Vasseuriina †Vasseuriidae †Belosepiellidae Sepiina †Belosaepiidae Sepiadariidae Sepiidae Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses). ... For other uses, see Ink (disambiguation). ... Orders Aulacocerida (extinct) Hematitida  (extinct) Phragmoteuthida  (extinct) Belemnitida  (extinct) Sepiida Sepiolida Spirulida Teuthida Octopoda Vampyromorphida Subclass Coleoidea is the grouping of cephalopods containing all the primarily soft-bodied creatures. ... For other uses, see Pearl (disambiguation). ... Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... “Aquaria” redirects here. ... When Aliens Attack is episode twelve in season one of Futurama. ... Bender Bending Rodríguez, more commonly known as Bender, is a main character in the animated television series Futurama. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love is episode five in season two of Futurama. ...

The Decapodian race is originally from the planet Decapod 10 (a member planet of the Democratic Order of Planets), but many Decapodians also live on Earth. The Decapodians seem to have been one of the first alien races to make contact with humans, and Decapodians arrived on Earth soon afterward (proceeding to accidentally wipe out the anchovy population by overfishing). The Decapodians themselves have many comical traits, including the traditional "apology dance" used to ask forgiveness, and the recent (but good) tradition of "Clawplach", in which Decapodians fight to the death over matters of honor and whether or not abbreviations are acceptable in Scrabble (Zoidberg maintains that they are not). The Decapodians' national anthem is the music played during fight scenes in the original series of Star Trek. Futurama is an animated United States cartoon series (March 28, 1999-2003) created by Matt Groening (who also created The Simpsons). ... Genera Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchoviella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa The anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water fish. ... For other uses, see Honour (disambiguation). ... Abbreviation (from Latin brevis short) is strictly a shortening, but more particularly, an abbreviation is a letter or group of letters, taken from a word or words, and employed to represent them for the sake of brevity. ... The verb to scrabble also means to scratch, scramble or scrape about: see Wiktionary:scrabble. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

The Decapodians appear to have a mating season (which is similar to pon farr in Vulcans), and as soon as the parents have passed on their genes, they die. However, in "Where the Buggalo Roam", Dr. Zoidberg announces that he has taken the liberty of fertilizing the caviar that was being served at the barbecue; despite passing on his DNA into the caviar, he does not die. Decapodians also have courtship display and arena battle practices which are closely analogous to the lek of some Earth species. The male reproductive organ appears to be called the "wazoo"; Fry, making a pitch for Zoidberg to the Decapodian named Edna, states that Zoidberg has "male jelly coming out the wazoo", she replies "well that is where it comes out". There is one allusion to asexual reproduction or regeneration: at Fry's housewarming party, Hermes eats some small pincers and comments that they are "mighty tasty", to which Zoidberg replies "Thank you, I made them myself". Pon farr is a condition in the fictional Star Trek universe that induces the desire to mate in an adult Vulcan. ... Vulcans are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who reside on the planet Vulcan and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... Where the Buggalo Roam is the tenth episode in season three of the animated television series Futurama. ... A lek is a gathering of males, of certain animal species, for the purposes of competitive mating display. ...

Biologically, fin rot is a serious disease that can afflict Decapodians. Decapodians have incredible strength, mostly in their claws, Zoidberg was able to cut through Fry's arm without difficulty. In a parallel universe explored by the Planet Express crew ("The Farnsworth Parabox"), Dr. Zoidberg's outer shell is blue; according to the DVD commentary this is because one in every two million lobsters is blue. Decapod 10 maintains an embassy, resembling a giant sandcastle, in Washington D.C. under Ambassador Moivin. In "A Taste Of Freedom" the Decapodian military invades and conquers Earth, but after their occupation warships are dismissed, Zoidberg himself destroys the Mobile Oppression Palace (a motorized sand castle on top of a crab-like robot) and liberates Earth. The Decapodians also walk in a fashion which causes them to walk with their "toes" pointed out. In Bender's Big Score, Zoidberg mentions and demonstrates a gland that gives off foul odors when he is bored. Decapodians also have "mouth flaps" which in more than one episode move independently with the same amount of control as a normal appendage. Fin rot is a symptom of disease in fish; it is not hard to treat, and the fish usually will survive. ... “The Farnsworth Parabox” is the fifteenth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama. ... Binomial name Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837 The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... A Taste of Freedom is the fifth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama. ... Futurama: Benders Big Score is the proposed name of the straight-to-DVD movie based on the animated series Futurama to be released around Christmas 2007. ...

In popular culture

In Action Comics #863, there is an alien Dr. Zoidberg look-alike, complete with sandals, that appears within several of its pages. Zoidberg appears in the Looney Tunes short, Attack of the Drones with a single line in a parody of the Jedi Council. Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... Attack of the Drones is a short animated film featuring Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers. ... The Jedi Council decides the fate of Anakin Skywalker The Jedi High Council is an institution from the Star Wars series of films. ...

External links

• Dr. Zoidberg's page in the Futurama Encyclopedia
• Crustacean Notes - a Dr. Zoidberg website

References