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Category: Cephalopods
Posted on: June 9, 2010 8:44 PM, by PZ Myers
The Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor Center has an Octo-Cam trained on a giant Pacific octopus — I just checked and the beast is cruising about.
Although…they also have a warning on the site that heavy visitor loads put a strain on the server. I may have just broken it.
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Comments
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, Quel Dommage
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June 9, 2010 8:53 PM
I'm not seeing it. I see a bunch of rocks, two sticky-up things in the background, and out of focus stuff floating in the water, but nary a sign of octopods.
Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe
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June 9, 2010 8:55 PM
! That's Octocool.
Posted by: Margaret
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June 9, 2010 8:59 PM
You broke it. "Server not found"
Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe
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June 9, 2010 9:00 PM
That was great, what a beautiful creature!
Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe
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June 9, 2010 9:02 PM
He just came up and covered the whole lens!
Posted by: Brownian, Most Vicious & Petty of Pharyngulites
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June 9, 2010 9:08 PM
I'm used to similar webcam sites, but never one involving marine life.
He's on screen right now.
So, where do I type in that I want him to take his top off?
Posted by: Kieranfoy, Faerie Godfather of Death, GMKSC, OED
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June 9, 2010 9:09 PM
Yup, you broke it. They've switched to archived footage.
Well done, Professor.
Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe
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June 9, 2010 9:13 PM
Kieranfoy, bookmark it. He's well worth seeing. I got to see a lot of him and I'm on dial-up, no less.
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
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June 9, 2010 9:13 PM
The minions never break a web site. The web sites are just bandwidth deficient...Posted by: Nebula99
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June 9, 2010 9:16 PM
OMG there is is!
Posted by: Michelle R
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June 9, 2010 9:34 PM
Quick, someone throw in a japanese schoolgirl!
Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/LFRuiO13qcunDnCW0u88WgEjzME86g--#a846b
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June 9, 2010 9:34 PM
Back when I lived in Eugene, we'd take the occasional trip to Newport (ok, mostly for the Rogue Brewery, but we'd stop in at Hatfield, 'cause it's just across the street)....we always thought the resident octopus was friendly enough (and quite cuddly if you tried to pet him/her), but was most certainly sizing up which visiting schoolchildren were the best candidates for being dragged to a watery grave. He/she just had that LOOK.
Posted by: SaintStephen
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June 9, 2010 10:12 PM
In the archival footage window (located below "live" window), you can see the big fella mugging the camera.
Not mugging FOR the camera, it is MUGGING THE CAMERA.
Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe
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June 9, 2010 10:16 PM
SaintStephen, after spending ages of time letting that load, I watched that, it was great! They are so curious about everything and that is a priceless trait.
Posted by: EricJuve
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June 9, 2010 10:55 PM
I live in Newport and I just found out about this (one of my associates is a volunteer diver for the Aquarium) and the first person I thought of was you. BTW Newport is the new home port for the NOAA pacific fleet. It is a very big deal around here as you can imagine.
Posted by: llewelly
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June 10, 2010 1:04 AM
Uh ... a heck of a thing to say after pounding it with a force capable of grinding an ordinary web server into meaningless dust.Posted by: MadScientist
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June 10, 2010 2:48 AM
I'm still waiting for an octo-cam on the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus ...
Posted by: llewelly
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June 10, 2010 4:48 AM
MadScientist | June 10, 2010 2:48 AM:
They keep the url for their octo-cam ultra-secret; they can't afford pharyngulization; they don't have the bandwidth, and their server is an Amiga from the 68060 era anyway ...
Posted by: solius
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June 10, 2010 7:01 AM
Awwwh, ain't he cute.
@ 17 MadScientist wrote:
Irratius has a pretty cool pic, here ;)
Posted by: danielbrownphd
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June 10, 2010 9:50 AM
Solius, thanks for the link to my Tree Octopus (Octopus arborealus). It was hard to capture his essence completely, as I discovered that nocturnal tree octopi really hate flashlights.
I love the Octo-Cam. I just got through with several weeks of watching a peregrine falcon nest cam set up atop the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh (next door to me). Last week all five chicks learned to fly and they are currently hanging out learning to exchange food in midair around my building.
Posted by: Perspexo
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June 10, 2010 11:20 AM
Release the Kraken!
Posted by: eddylinc
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June 10, 2010 12:00 PM
He seems to be playing with the camera a lot this morning.
Posted by: Veronica
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June 10, 2010 12:59 PM
Well, I'm officially mesmerized. I've been watching for around 2 hours now, and have taken probably about 20 screen shots. Can't... stop...
Posted by: Doppelgänger
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June 10, 2010 4:20 PM
The octocam is not wirking anymore, PZ Myers I blame you! you destroyed the server!
Just kidding.
Posted by: Rowan
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June 10, 2010 11:27 PM
I had the good fortune to see Deriq this weekend in the tank mugging the camera when I went to visit him with the webmama for HMSC. I told her that once Pharyngula posted the link to expect a great uptick in visitors. Seems that is indeed the case!
I have been watching when I get home from work since Monday's unveiling.
Truly an incredible creature.
Posted by: Eric S.
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June 11, 2010 2:34 AM
Another Newport resident here! I was actually just at HMSC over the weekend with my 6 year old. The octopus was out and about then too, and the volunteer attendant mentioned that this specimen is actually a recent addition, as the previous octopus had died. Apparently this new one is rather ostentatious.
Very awesome creatures.
Posted by: Diane G.
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June 11, 2010 4:29 PM
What's with the apparent # of legs here?:
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1678/octocamscreencapturecro.jpg
Looks like a triskaidekapus or something...