Sure, Wikipedia is good for easy-to-digest information about any topic your heart desires, but it’s also good for pranks against public figures. This week’s victim was Paul Ryan, by way of the Wikipedia page for invertebrates. As per the page’s definition, “invertebrates are animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a backbone or spine),” and for a brief period of time on Thursday, this included Ryan. Estimated members of described species: One.
The Wikipedia page — as first spotted by BuzzFeed’s Alp Ozcelik – has since been edited and no longer includes Ryan’s headshot wedged beneath the horseshoe crab. (You can track the edit history here.) But still, we have several questions. Who are you, anonymous editing hero? Will you strike again? And, perhaps most important, how does Paul Ryan manage to dab if he doesn’t have a spine?
