Friday Cephalopod: Madonna and child
Category: Cephalopods • Organisms
Posted on: April 13, 2007 6:00 AM, by PZ Myers
Octopus berrima
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
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Octopus berrima
Comments
Posted by: Monado | April 13, 2007 6:28 AM
Now, that's cute! Is there any danger she's going to eat it?
Posted by: DaveX | April 13, 2007 7:15 AM
Not sure how much entertainment news you read... so I'm actually wondering WHICH Madonna you're referencing. Either could work at the moment, hahaha
Posted by: cleek | April 13, 2007 8:43 AM
wow. what a great shot.
Posted by: Mooser | April 13, 2007 12:18 PM
Reminds me of my days as a small fry, and my sainted Mom.
Got all Ahhhh when I saw the photo. Thanks!
Posted by: MoMo | April 13, 2007 12:24 PM
^.^
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! so cute!
Posted by: clew | April 13, 2007 2:40 PM
Monado, although it may not be true of all cephalopods, some octopoda lose dangerous amounts of weight while protecting their young -- if that's her offspring, she's likely to take care of it.
Posted by: Steff Z | April 13, 2007 8:18 PM
Actually, in general, cephalopds taking care of (or even just laying) their eggs lose ALL of their body mass. Entirely dangerous.
Octopus moms don't bother eating, or healing up cuts and abrasions, or preventing bits of themselves from rotting away, while protecting/cleaning/aerating eggs. Her egg-babies tend to do better (== survive in larger proportions) if she manages to stay alive until they hatch.
Squids and cuttles tend to have to fend for themselves, even as naive developing eggs.
Posted by: zebbidie | April 14, 2007 2:50 AM
Mmmmm.... I think I might have developed some castration anxieties if I were the little one..