Friday Cephalopod: Standing tall!

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Octopus cyanea

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

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Octopus cyanea Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
Octopus cyanea Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
Octopus cyanea You may be wondering what they're doing. Here's a hint: that's a male below, and a female above. Here's another hint: that's his specialized third arm, the hectocotyl limb. Third hint: it's in her oviduct. If you can't figure it out yet, look below the fold for an illustration.…
Octopus briareus, the Caribbean reef octopus Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.

That's a handsome fish.

By Christianjb (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

Just beatiful... im going to find some info about it...

By Miguel Opazo (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

I know it's his body, but he still makes me think of W.C. Fields.

This beast (and my handy 1925 book of similes) inspires me to write: "Like a sudden flash of memory or spirit kindling up the mind of an old man, the octopus shed a glory upon the scene, in which its departed youth and freshness seemed to live again!"

By Eximious Jones (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

PZ: I thought of you last night. (((Wife))) and I were at Target and they have household implements in the shape of animals. A monkey peeler (that sounds, um, wrong?), a toucan can opener (more room for double entendre's there), a hedgehog scrubber, and, last but not least, an octopus scrubber. It looks a lot like the one above, except it sits on a round set of scrub bristles.

I like your cephalopod photos. And thanks for fighting the good fight.

Gorgeous!

By Peter Vaht (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

Octopus-tasting event
Superior Fish is hosting a FREE Octopus Taste Fest Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its store on Eleven Mile near Main....On the menu: octopus chili, octopus salad, barbecue octopus, and octopus spread...

By Reginald Selkirk (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

The Dennett of cephalopods.

Haha! Good call, danley!

Loooove this picture

Newly added to the list of my favorite cephalopods, after learning about them at the Maui Ocean Center last week. Lovely image, thank you for sharing!

Its got a face only PZ could love.. and even he has trouble.

By Stuart Weinstein (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

Why is this species called "Cyanea"? Shouldn't it be "Erythrorea"

Shouldn't it be O. cyaneus in the first place? Or have I missed something?

By David Marjanović, OM (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

Reminds me of a friend's Airedale. He sits and looks at you just like that, especially if you ignore him :)

By John Phillips, FCD (not verified) on 23 May 2008 #permalink

Just beautiful. She (in spite of a lack of evidence one way or the other I'm assuming it's a she) is just amazing. And Reginald #12, as much as I've enjoyed octopus sushi, I have to admit I've always had qualms about eating an animal that--from what I've heard--is quite intelligent.

@ 21:
Then I assume you don't eat pork either? Pigs are supposedly in the top ten for nonhuman intelligence. C'mon, everyone knows the smarter an animal is, the more delicious it is.

I think it's a She too. I'm picturing the cephalopodean version of Hooters, and this is one of the totally hot waitresses, a former Miss Coral Reef finalist.

Is that thing standing up out of the water?

ah, i see what you mean.

No.

even an octo has limits, and with no bones, they don't look like that when out of water.

Oh, he/she looks like they're standing there wearing a pair of little polka dotted fluffy slippers. Kind of reminds me of my dad standing at the doorway when I was 17 and had missed 10 o'clock curfew.

By Bride of Shrek (not verified) on 24 May 2008 #permalink