Friday Cephalopod: Brilliant blue
Category: Cephalopods • Organisms
Posted on: July 4, 2008 7:30 AM, by PZ Myers
Sepioteuthis sepioidea
(via Wikimedia Commons)
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Search this blog
Profile
PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
…and this is a pharyngula stage embryo.
• a longer profile of yours truly
• my calendar
• Nature Network
• RichardDawkins Network
• facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Atheist Nexus
• the Pharyngula chat room
(#pharyngula on irc.synirc.net)
I reserve the right to publicly post, with full identifying information about the source, any email sent to me that contains threats of violence.
Random Quote
(Complete listing)So, how come there are no "talking snakes" nowadays? … Because you are not righteous enough to hear them talk.
[Raoul Newton, net.fundie.idiot]
Recent Posts
- Poll…but you'll have to see Ken Ham's homely face to do it
- And the right-wing calliope plays on…
- And just what has atheism done for us?
- Best explanation for the non-existence of global warming ever
- And the crowd goes wild!
- This is how we will lose
- Palin open thread
- I get email
- The fundamentalist formula for electoral success
- Lying for Texas and Jesus
A Taste of Pharyngula
(Complete listing)Recent Comments
- Dude on And just what has atheism done for us?
- Patricia on Poll…but you'll have to see Ken Ham's homely face to do it
- Gerard Harbison on Palin open thread
- Jason on Poll…but you'll have to see Ken Ham's homely face to do it
- Sneaky on Poll…but you'll have to see Ken Ham's homely face to do it
- John C. Randolph on And just what has atheism done for us?
- Patricia on Palin open thread
- Michael on And the right-wing calliope plays on…
- Miss Elaine on Poll…but you'll have to see Ken Ham's homely face to do it
- Zack on And the right-wing calliope plays on…
Archives
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
Blogroll
(Complete listing)Other Information
Subscribe via Email
Stay abreast of your favorite bloggers' latest and greatest via e-mail, via a daily digest.
« Coloradans are wimps! | Main | Schlafly wants to play rough now »
Sepioteuthis sepioidea
Find more posts in: 
Life Science
Comments
Oh, so pretty!
Posted by: LisaJ | July 4, 2008 7:48 AM
OK, from my time spent in tapas bars in Spain I recall sepia being cuttlefish. With a name like sepiteuthis sepioiodea. I'd say the latin roughly translates to cuttlely cuttlfishy. Correct?
Posted by: Brian English | July 4, 2008 7:50 AM
It's very early, I read that as Canadian reef squid.
Posted by: Josh West | July 4, 2008 8:07 AM
At the risk of repeating myself...
C'est beau!
PS: Happy 4th to our southern neighbors!
Posted by: Philippe | July 4, 2008 8:08 AM
Pretty...
Random question Mr. Myers, but I was wondering, given your affinity towards cephalopods, do you refrain from eating them?
Posted by: Claudia | July 4, 2008 8:35 AM
This is very cool, PZ.
I am wishing that I was wherever this photo was taken...look at that water! Please don't tell me it was anywhere near New Jersey.
Please, everyone have a safe 4th!
Posted by: BobbyEarle | July 4, 2008 8:35 AM
Caribbean reef squid
Posted by: negentropyeater | July 4, 2008 8:40 AM
Where would you find water that clear in Jersey? Even the tanks in their zoos (erm, aquariums) are too turbid to see through. :P
Beautiful squid though. Nice and shiny.
Posted by: randumbness47 | July 4, 2008 9:10 AM
Gosh, that's gorgeous.
I wish that these great images in Friday Cephalopod linked to places providing larger high-res files...sigh
Posted by: Arnosium Upinarum | July 4, 2008 9:16 AM
There is more information about Sepioteuthis sepioidea Reef Squid at http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=286 .
"It is often encountered among shallow reefs and is usually unafraid of divers, if not curious about them. The mantles of newly hatched squid are about 8-9 mm in length and the mantles in adult males and females reach 12-20 cm in length. Adult reef squid closely resemble their cousins, the cuttlefish, in that their bodies are broad and less streamlined than many other squids. Reef squid can also move using jet propulsion by pressing water from the pallial cavity (in the mantle) through their funnel to move through the water."
Posted by: Odonata | July 4, 2008 10:10 AM
Stunningly gorgeous!
And a happy 4th July to all US Pharyngulites from across the Atlantic!
Posted by: Lilly de Lure | July 4, 2008 10:12 AM
Reef squid? People, coral reefs are threatened by (a) rising ocean temperatures, (b) ocean acidification, and (c) other kinds of pollution as well. There are already many reefs, such as those in Fiji, which have been completely destroyed by one or more of the above. This squid is part of the swimming dead.
Posted by: llewelly | July 4, 2008 11:19 AM
Claudia, I can't speak for PZ, but as another appreciator, my take on it is that cephalopods don't refrain from eating one another, so they're fair game...
Posted by: Squiddhartha | July 4, 2008 12:04 PM
That picture is wonderful I can't tell if the animal is really blue or clear or how much of each.
it has a kind of sly expression.
a personal comment or observation
I can not think of anything we as humans eat that does not have it's share of beauty. We do not eat anything that we would characterize as being UGLY.
Posted by: uncle frogy | July 4, 2008 12:44 PM
Squiddhartha, that is a great point! I shall feel less guilt now.
And I don't know that I agree with you, uncle frogy. I think poultry is pretty ugly...
Posted by: Claudia | July 4, 2008 2:22 PM
Very pretty. I especially like the subtle lavendars.
Posted by: cicely | July 4, 2008 4:59 PM
Uncle Frogy, #14, wrote:
I beg to differ. I watched an episode of Iron Chef where the mystery ingredient was anglerfish - and those suckers were some of the ugliest creatures I've ever seen.
Then there's the stonefish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_fish), which is pretty ugly; according to the Wikipedia entry they eat that.
On the stonefish; I tend to think it's yet another good argument against benevolent, humano-centric intelligent design - the only thing it can offer a human is a sting featuring one of the most agonising toxins there is.
I've heard stories (unverified) that people have drowned themselves because the agony is so intense.
Posted by: Wowbagger | July 4, 2008 9:06 PM
I can't thank you enough for Friday Cephalopods. I used to date a wildlife biologist (who was almost a marine biologist) and we had a few cephalopods that lived in the house briefly. For their sake, I prefer them in their natural habitat, but I miss seeing them. Amazing, wonderful, gorgeous creatures. It's so great to see a new one every week. :) Hurray!
Posted by: C | July 5, 2008 10:54 PM