2013-09-28
Explanation
This comic is presented in the style of a children'''s educational show called "Animal Pals!" with colorful cartoon animals sharing fun facts. A cheetah announces that it can run at speeds up to 70 miles per hour. A bat explains that it can "see" with sound (echolocation). Then a turtle shares that it can breathe through its cloaca. The other animals are visibly confused or disturbed, and one asks what a cloaca is. The turtle cheerfully explains: "It'''s like a combined anus, urethra, and genitalia." The cheetah responds with disgust: "That'''s not how I'''m talkin''' to you!"
The humor comes from the contrast between the wholesome children'''s-show format and the genuinely real but decidedly non-kid-friendly biological fact. Many reptiles, birds, and amphibians do indeed have a cloaca -- a single opening that serves as the exit for the digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Some turtle species can actually perform cloacal respiration, absorbing oxygen through the lining of their cloaca, which allows them to stay underwater for extended periods. So while the turtle'''s fact is scientifically accurate, it is hilariously inappropriate for the cheerful educational format.
The votey panel shows a smiling turtle with the word "CLOACAMAZING!" in a rainbow arc above its head, as if it were a catchphrase for the show -- a perfect portmanteau of "cloaca" and "amazing" that doubles down on the absurd juxtaposition of wholesome and gross.