cephalopods
pharyngula | September 8, 2006Go ahead, count 'em. Since there were some comments about octopuses with an odd number of arms, here's an example. Males of this species have a highly modified arm (the one they use for sex) that is tucked away in a pouch, so they have the appearance of a seven-armed octopus.
Haliphron antlanticus, the seven-arm octopus
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
pharyngula | September 7, 2006I was reading a review paper that was frustrating because I wanted to know more—it's on the evolution of complex brains, and briefly summarizes some of the current confusion about what, exactly, is involved in building a brain with complex problem solving ability. It's not as simple as "size matters"—we have to jigger the formulae a fair bit to take into account brain:body size ratios, for instance, to get humans to come out on top, and maybe bulk is an inaccurate proxy for more significant matters, such as the number of synapses and nerve conduction velocities.
There's also a growing amount…
pharyngula | September 6, 2006This is an octopus sculpted out of butter.
In the interests of fairness, I'd now like to see a cow made of fried calamari rings.
pharyngula | September 5, 2006People would be more sympathetic to my interest in our tentacled co-residents of planet Earth if they realized it was a path to free ice cream, according to Lio, at least.
pharyngula | September 4, 2006People send me things that put lust in my heart.
I want one of these.
I want some of these, too.
I need a seal like this so I can stamp all my official correspondence with it.
Clearly, there will be a future need for Space Squid Conservationists.
pharyngula | September 2, 2006MinnObserver sent me this photo from the state fair: even here in the midwest, people are gluing seeds into the form of very angry octopuses. Portents? Omens? Subconscious resonance with the Great Old Ones? Who knows.
Also, Mark Chu-Carroll finds a similarly ominous sculpture. It looks to be in the strange genre of cyclopic cephalopods.
pharyngula | September 1, 2006Octopus sp.
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
pharyngula | August 28, 2006Plans for my army of zombie cephalopod-cyborgs proceed apace. First target: Holland!
Go ahead, open the dikes—nothing will stop them.
(via My Confined Space)
pharyngula | August 27, 2006They're rather dark and murky, but here: home movies of a creature smarter than any fundamentalist.
pharyngula | August 25, 2006Euprymna tasmanica
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
pharyngula | August 25, 2006
It's cute, but where did this cartoon convention of one-eyed cephalopods get started?
pharyngula | August 24, 2006
Oooh, I love this idea: art prints on a plastic adhesive that you just stick on the wall. They've got squid art! Unfortunately, they've also got a hefty price, and doubly unfortunately, my wife has this annoying thing called "taste" which precludes me slapping squid up everywhere in my house.
(via the aptly named Squid)
pharyngula | August 19, 2006People like the Disgruntled Chemist see stuff like this, and they just think, "PZ!"
Of course, it is breakfast time, and I'm thinking…man oh man, I could go for a big bowl of tasty Squid Chunks right now. Mmmm-mmmm. Piquant, and they slide down so smooth and easy.
I could be their 'celebrity' pitchman!
pharyngula | August 19, 2006A couple of my colleagues here, the Goodnoughs, have notice my mild and entirely rational interest in a certain class of organisms, and passed along a little cartoon.
But cephalopods don't need shoes and hats, either!
pharyngula | August 18, 2006
How would you like to see that coming out of the dark at you?
Here's a dramatic account of divers meeting a school of Humboldt squid—the beasts are as big as a man, and aggressive.
As I floated there transfixed, a large squid moved to within two feet and flashed again. Mesmerized by the strobe effect, I didn't see that another squid was rushing in from my left. Bam! It hit me with a tentacular strike that felt like being hit with a baseball bat square in the ribs. Shocked by the power of the strike and unable to breathe because of a cramp in my chest, I turned to see what had hit me and saw…