Friday Cephalopod: Vampyroteuthis. That says it all.

Awe-inspiring! That is an absolutely gorgeous creature.

I'm so sick of this Twilight shit.

Rachel, be thankful you're not friends with my wife. I've been to New Moon twice (because I'm a good husband).

Too bad our mere existence is such a threat to all other living creatures.

The Sixth Extinction
http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2.html

Best wishes for a more sane and sustainable future.

Gorgeous!

I've always thought that must be the best name in all of taxonomy.

I mean, Vampire Squid from Hell? What can top that ;)

Dang, Roger Corman predicted that one. If you watch the original 1957 "Not Of This Earth", the space vampire bad-guy unleashes a flying creature that looks exactly like that. I won't spoil the plot, but it does something that scared the crap outta me when I was a little kid.

It's in the public domain, so I won't be breaking any rules by telling you that you can find it on most bittorrent searches. It's been remade about three times, so find the original :)

False advertising.

The corner identifier plainly says MBARI, but that is clearly a Vorlon....

It's a beautiful beast. Surprising, this short video has more excitement and better acting than the twilight movies. In a fight, I am taking the vampire squid over any sparkle vampire.

Nautilove and Nautilhate

"Technichally not a squid"? Well, duh!

My biological expertise is more botanical. I offer "Dracula vampira" as my favorite taxonomic hilarity. Sorry, no links. It's a pleurothalid orchid from the cool heights of Ecuador. Groovyness, dude.

I agree with octopode @6 that the name has got to be the ultimate!

I also suggest that the good folks at NatGeo use the MBARI videos as a guide for their staff producing the scripts for the other ones (you know which videos I mean....).

The corner identifier plainly says MBARI, but that is clearly a Vorlon....

Specifically, a transport ship modified by the Vorlons to resemble what Earthers call a cephalopod.

In the B5 universe, Vorlons modified human DNA so that a human would perceive a Michelangelo-style angel upon seeing a Vorlon.

As an atheist, I loved that little twist.

I still miss that show.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis- What, again? You're obsessing, PZ.

rmp@3 has obviously been to husband school, as all good husbands have. Quote from the spousal unit when talking to her friends: "You don't think he came out of the box like that, do you?"

Yay, Friday!

Now that is the way to start a workday.
Thank you PZ.

Now drink up wouldn't want that Guinness to go to waste now would you.

What a most fascinating creature!

"Has changed very little in 300 million years..."

Well, that proves evolution is a hoax. There will certainly be a picture of this in the next edition of "Atlas of Creation".

Nothing a long, gentle saute in butter and garlic won't fix.

Sorry, critter, you won't pass for a goldfish no matter how serene you look.

Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p

YAY for MBARI!

The un-squid, and very cool.

Damn, it took me a minute to figure out if that was CGI or not. It just looked too perfect and clean at first.

That is one BAD ASS looking dude! Too cool to be true, and yet there it is...

Rachel Bronwyn | February 5, 2010 6:46 AM:

I'm so sick of this Twilight shit.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis was first described and classified in 1903. Predates Twilight just a bit.

If you do a google image search for "vampyroteuthis infernalis", the #1 and #2 links are both to Firday cephalopod pics of this creature.

But how does it taste?

Vampyroteuthis is my second favorite cephalopod!

I didn't know they could turn themselves inside out, (sort of). I'd certainly find that a bit off-putting, along with the nasty dried-blood colour.

I wish I'd taken the time to go to the MBA when I visited the area a couple of years ago.

"Has changed very little in 300 million years..."

Where did they get that number?
Ain't no fossils, are there?
Is it a molecular-clock estimate of divergence, or what?

well, OK, except for this one.
But it's only half that old!

So National Geographic can make videos where the narration is aimed at adults. Why don't they do this all the time?

The commentary at the end about how we should preserve the seas so that humans can still eat from them really chaps my hide. Shouldn't we just be preserving the seas, period?

Otherwise, awesome video. Seconding the comments about narration for grownups.

More Friday cephalopod goodness:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/4333982368/

Not some plastic imitation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsXknE8LOEI

Oh dear, that went off in the wrong direction. Now I've injured some innocent bystanders on this lovely cephalopod thread with the evil earworms of that other one.

Nothing a long, gentle saute in butter and garlic won't fix.

And served on a wooden stake. That is a beautiful thing, but it'd freak me if I was in the water with it.

Beautiful creature. ♥

I'm sorry I have not shown up to admire this until Saturday.

WOW......I really liked this video, that's just beautiful.....