"All these things I should keep to myself
But I feel somehow strangely compelled...."

- Neil Finn, Sinner

Today is the 2nd Annual (Unofficial) International Cephalopod Appreciation and Awareness Day, 10/8/2008!

http://cephalopodcast.com/blog/2008/10/08/2nd-annual-unofficial-international-cephalopod-appreciation-and-awareness-day-1082008/

"What better day to celebrate Octopus and Squid then on OCTOber 8, the eighth day of the 10th month of the year? Octopus have eight arms and squid and cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles, for a total of 10 appendages."

My favorite Halloween squid from a few years ago...

From Divebums Photos of the Week - this is a fascinating little video of an octopus taken down in La Jolla. While it may not be "walking" bipedally quite as definitely at the octies in the videos that made the internet rounds a couple of years ago, it's pretty interesting to watch. Very shortly in, it comes to rest and forms white "eye-spots" below its own eyes and a dark horizontal bar that makes it look very much like the head of a sculpin or a sarcastic fringehead (an agressive little fish that lives in burrows, shelss or sometimes bottles with its head sticking out). It does the fish imitation several times in the video. Although I can't quite figure out what (or if) it's imitating by holding two arms aloft while moving around...

http://week.divebums.com/2008/May27-2008/

(Video all the way down at the bottom, last on the list)

I feel a little sorry for this guy, who's having a hard time escaping the persistant diver-with-video-camera!

...We have HEAD CEPHALOPODS!!!

Home with octopus
Huntington Beach Ca
Sharp VE-CG30
19 April 2008

( Which are even worse... )

Over the kid's Spring Break, so runsamuck took the kids to the Aquarium of the Pacific. In a recent cleanup, Gareth's stuffed friend Whalie, an orca, disappeared, and he's been very upset about losing her. So Dad got him this octopus; Gareth has dubbed him "Blue." I think he's supposed to be a blue-ringed octopus - larger than actual size, but hopefully, less toxic.

( very realistic, for a plushie... )

Haven't had time to read the entire article (or set of articles) yet in New Scientist, but it looks fascinating....

Pictures
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/deep-sea/mg19125603.900-unseen-oceans-revelations-from-the-abyss.html

Special report
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/deep-sea

Unfortunately, to read many of the articles linked to, it looks like you have to buy a subscription to the magazine. A worthy magazine, I'm sure, but I'm not subscribing to anything right now. Poop.

Nature has some neat photos and video (via Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) of Gonatus onyx, a squid that broods her eggs while holding them in her arms. Apparently the only only squid species known to do this.

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051212/full/051212-9.html

(cross-posted to molluscious)

If you're a member/reader of molluscious, invertebrates, or Pharyngula, you've already seen this and you can skip it. Or you may have seen it on the news (which I don't watch much of, so I missed it).

But for those of you that aren't, man, this is trippy. Be sure to watch the video.

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050321/full/050321-14.html

http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/octopus_marginatus_and_octopus_aculeatus/

I think it goes right along with this T-shirt. The cephalopods are walking - they're preparing to come ashore...

*cue Twighlight Zone music - doodoo doodoo, doodoo doodoo...*