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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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Friday Cephalopod: Origin of the Octosquid?

Category: CephalopodsOrganisms
Posted on: July 13, 2007 8:43 AM, by PZ Myers

mastigoteuthis.jpg
Mastigoteuthis sp.

Since I recently pointed out the strange news reports of an "octosquid" that even went so far as to call it half squid/half octopus, I thought I'd show why the preliminary assignment to the genus Mastigoteuthis was suggestive. It probably did have 8 arms and 2 tentacles … before it got sucked up in a pipe and flung to the surface. Those two feeding tentacles are delicate.


Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.

Comments

#1

Posted by: Ashaman | July 13, 2007 9:08 AM

On the topic of Squid, I thought you might get a kick out of this:
http://skippyslist.com/2007/07/09/cephalopod-surprise/

#2

Posted by: astromcnaught | July 13, 2007 9:10 AM

If you had said they'd just discovered this on Titan, I'd have believed you...

#3

Posted by: Chuck C | July 13, 2007 9:38 AM

Thanks, Ashaman.

"PIE DOESN'T HAVE TENTACLES!"

What a hoot...

#4

Posted by: Melissa G | July 13, 2007 11:23 AM

Oh, cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!!! :-)

#5

Posted by: Randy Tyson | July 13, 2007 11:46 AM

Is it just me, or does this thing look like it's wearing shoes?

#6

Posted by: ctenotrish, FCD | July 13, 2007 11:49 AM

Ashaman, I second Chuck C - what a hoot!!

Careful folks - don't be sippin' your morning coffee if you pop over to read Ashaman's link. Pretty damn funny.

#7

Posted by: Peter Ashby | July 13, 2007 11:57 AM

Interesting, I thought the original picture of the octosquid looked like two of the tentacles were thicker than the others but I couldn't be sure it wasn't just due to the angle they were being held. Now the example above definitely has two tentacles thicker than the others.

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