Nautilus, originally uploaded by PacificKlaus.
Fun fact: The eyes of the Chambered Nautilus are much more primitive than their Coleoid relatives (i.e. squids, cuttlefish, and octopuses), functioning like pinhole cameras.
Also, you should definitely check out PacificKlaus’ Flickr stream for more amazing underwater photos!
I’m starting to think there might be an Octopus Day curse, at least as far as this blog is concerned. As I write this, it is 11:11 (make a wish!), so it still counts, right? (Of course, who knows what time it will be when I finally click “Publish.”)
One of my goals for this blog is to maintain the most comprehensive list of cephalopod-focused (or at lest ceph-friendly) blogs possible. Over the past year, I’ve encountered a veritable shoal of Tumblr blogs dedicated to our tentacled friends, and here are three must-subscribes for any octopus enthusiast. I’ve included a sampling of recent content from each blog, and you can click on the images to see the original posts.
White Spotted Octopus (Octopus macropus)
Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus)
Angel Octopus (Velodona togata)
Blue-ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.)
Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus)
Augustus A. Gould, Mollusca and Shells, 1856, Argonauta geniculata; Octopus megalocyathus
"icarus"
"Underdog" by Devin McGrath
"The Sea"
steampunk octopus
ninja octopus
Did you know it was October already? Well, it is (despite everything my brain is telling me). Not only that, tomorrow is the 8th, which means, of course, that today is Cephday Eve!
This year ICAD is being hosted by Danna Staaf over at The Cephalopodiatrist blog.
Go to www.cephalopodday.org for more information.
Just like last year, the festivities are spread out over three days:
Friday, Oct. 8 is Octopus Day
Sat., Oct. 9 is Nautilus Night
Sunday, Oct. 10 is Squid Day
Unlike last year, I plan to actually get my ICAD posts up ON TIME! 
It’s 10/10, Squid Day, and the last of the International Cephalopod Awareness Days. I ran out of time to get the big post I’d planned to have finished by today, so instead I thought I’d take advantage of all this increased awareness to try to get a little mystery solved.
When I was a kid in the 70s, I remember one of our neighbors had a cool set of orange toy sea animals. I had forgotten all about them until I found these two figures (see photos below) at a flea market in Raleigh, NC several years ago. They mystery is that I have no idea who made these toys, or when, exactly, they were produced. Furthermore, I can find absolutely no trace of them on the Internet. None.
The underside of this figure reads “Giant Squid 60ft” and the number 12. There is no manufacturer name or date (not even a “Made in China”). I am fairly certain that each animal in the set was numbered, indicating that there were at least twelve pieces.
[Squid Day Fact! It was once widely accepted that Architeuthis, the Giant Squid, grew to a maximum length of 60 ft. or even longer. These figures were largely based on a dubious report from 1877. Modern length estimates for Architeuthis are more conservative, usually in the 30-40 ft range. That's not to say that larger specimens are not waiting for us down in the depths...]
The other figure from this set that I have is the Giant Oarfish (Regalecus glesne), on which is printed “Oarfish 30ft” and the number 7. To my knowledge, this is the only toy reproduction of an oarfish that has ever been made.
Apart from the Giant Squid and the Oarfish, the only others I specifically remember are a Sperm Whale, Manta Ray, and (I think) a Sailfish.
A commenter on Flickr has a vague memory of these toys and thinks they might have been part of a mail away promotion, but he can’t remember anything else specific. So, if anyone has any information about this toy line–who made it, what other sea animals were included, etc.–please let me know!
Also, if anyone owns any other figures from this set, I’d love to post pictures of them here!
Octopus Day was two days ago, and here, at long last, is my contribution. Better late than never, I suppose!
Like all cephalopods, octopuses (and yes, that is the correct pluralization of the word) are amazing and fascinating creatures. They are among the most intelligent invertebrates (if not the THE most intelligent), and experiments have shown that they have both short-term and long-term memory and can solve puzzles and mazes. The complex octopus nervous system also accounts for their lightning-fast reflexes, keen eyesight, and astounding camouflage abilities.
The earliest known octopus fossil dates from the Carboniferous period approximately 296 million years ago, and today there are around 300 known species. Octopuses inhabit all of the world’s oceans—from shallow tide pools to the abyssal plains.
Here are eight species that I find particularly cool:
1. Enteroctopus dofleini
photo from www.marinebio.com
Common name: North Pacific Giant Octopus
Inhabiting the chilly waters of the northern Pacific is the mighty Enteroctopus dofleini. With a scientifically verified record weight of 71 kg (156.5 lb), it is generally considered the world’s largest octopus. (Although the rare Seven-Arm Octopus may hold a legitimate claim on that title.) A more typical size for an adult Giant Octopus is around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft)—still significantly larger than just about any other kind of octopus. Their diet consists of crustaceans, bivalves, and fish, and they have even been observed preying on sharks! With an average life span of 4-5 years, the North Pacific Giant Octopus is actually one of the longest lived octopus species.
2. Thaumoctopus mimicus
Common name: Mimic Octopus
Unknown to science until its discovery in Indonesian waters in 1998, T. mimicus has been observed mimicking both the movements and physical aspects of as many as 15 different species. I’d go into more detail, but you really should just watch the video. The typical coloration of a Mimic Octopus is white and reddish-brown stripes, and the they can grow up to 2 feet in length.
3. Hapalochlaena sp.
photo from www.underwater.com.au
Common name: Blue-ringed Octopus
The genus Hapalochlaena, which consists of at least three species, is found in tide pools across the western Pacific ocean. The common name of this octopus obviously comes from its striking coloration—blue rings (and stripes in one species) on bright yellow. It’s a good thing that these little octopuses are marked so vividly because they are one of the most venomous creatures in the world. Although it has been recently found that all octopuses (as well as cuttlefish, and some squid) are venomous, only the Blue-ringed Octopus is deadly to humans. Despite their tiny size (the largest species only grow to about 5 inches), a single individual contains enough venom to kill as many as 26 adult humans. For those unlucky enough to be bitten, death from respiratory paralysis and cardiac arrest can come in a matter of minutes, and there is no known antivenin.
4. Argonauta sp.
photo by Bernd Hofmann (from Wikipedia)
Common name: Argonaut, Paper Nautilus
Argonauts live in the open ocean in tropical and sub-tropical waters world-wide. Unlike most other kinds of octopus, Argonauts live near the surface, and in Classical times it was believed that they used their specialized shell-secreting arms as sails. It is their shells, which are actually egg cases produced by the female Argonaut, that give them their other common name: Paper Nautilus. Despite the uncanny visual similarity to the shells of the Chambered Nautilus and those of extinct ammonites, the Argonaut egg case is very different biologically (and mineralogically) from a true shell. Interestingly, the Chambered Nautilus was so named because of its apparent similarity to the Argonaut, even though we now consider the former to be the “true” Nautilus. There are at least six extant species of Argonaut, with several more known from the fossil record.
5. Grimpoteuthis sp.
photo from www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Common name: Dumbo Octopus
Belonging to the Octopus suborder Cirrina, the genus Grimpoteuthis consists of over a dozen rare and poorly-known species, all of which are found in the extreme depths of the ocean. They are small, not getting much bigger than 20 cm (8 in), and their common name comes from the ear-like pair of fins (present in all cirrate octopuses, but generally larger in the Dumbos) which are used to assist locomotion the same way a squid uses its fins. Like other cirrate octopuses, the arms of the Dumbo Octopus are completely webbed, and they also retain an internal shell, something the more common incirrate octopuses (i.e. every other kind of octopus) have lost entirely. Dumbo Octopuses spend their time either sitting on the sea floor, or swimming just above it searching for food.
6. Amphioctopus marginatus
photo by Nick Hobgood (from Wikipedia)
Common name: Coconut Octopus, Veined Octopus
Inhabiting sandy the bottoms of tropical lagoons of the western Pacific, A. marginatus often hides from potential predators by building itself a protective fortress out of debris from its environment. It seems to be particularly partial to coconut shells, and that’s the reason why one of its common names is the Coconut Octopus. (The other name is a reference to its dark vein-like color pattern.) In recent years, the Coconut Octopus has been observed walking bipedally. In one instance, one was seen to literally run across the sea floor on two arm while the rest of its body mimicked the shape and texture of a coconut! (The same report also includes a video of an individual of another species—Abdopus aculeatus—which was filmed walking backwards on two arms while adopting a posture reminiscent of floating algae.)
7. Tremoctopus sp.
photo from cameronmccormick.blogspot.com
Common name: Blanket Octopus
Behold the beautiful and otherworldly Blanket Octopus. Like the Argonauts (to which they are closely related), they live near the ocean’s surface, and can be found in both tropical and subtropical waters. There are four known species (the one depicted here is apparently T. gracilis, aka the Palmate Octopus), all of which share the same astounding anatomical and behavioral traits unique to this genus. Let’s begin with the name. As should be obvious from the image above, the female Blanket Octopus has two arms (the dorsal and dorsolateral, if you want to get technical about it) which are significantly longer than the rest and are connected to two other arms by a massive sheet-like membrane (the webbing is absent from the other four arms). It seems this “blanket” is unfurled when the animal feels threatened, presumably to make it appear bigger to any potential predator. Young individuals practice an altogether different defensive strategy. Apparently immune to the venom, they have been observed to carry pieces of the stinging tentacles of the Portuguese Man o’ War. The Blanket Octopus also exhibits one of the most extreme examples of sexual dimorphism of any animal: males, at 2.4 cm (or smaller), are minute, while the females can exceed 2 m in length.
8. Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis
photo ©Rob Mickens/AMNH
Common name: N/A
Vulcanoctopus is the only known cephalopod adapted to life in hostile hyrothermal vent environments. This little, and little-known, octopus lacks chromatophores (the specialized cells that give most octopuses the ability to change their color almost instantaneously) and pigment of any kind. Its eyes have greatly reduced functionality, perhaps even a complete loss of function, as they show no reaction to light when encountered in the wild. They are known to eat amphipods and have been observed hunting vent crabs.
So that was just a thin slice of the fascinating world of the octopus. If you want to learn more about these wonderful creatures, visit the Tree of Life web project, TONMO.com, or The Cephalopod Page.
The official ICAD calendar says that today is Squid Day, so I guess I better get Kraken!
Inside the deep blue…., originally uploaded by hendradive.
I write a lot about squids and octopuses here, but let’s not forget the lonely and majestic Nautilus. One has to travel to the Indo-Pacific to see a living Nautilus in its natural habitat, the deep slopes of coral reefs. Only six Nautilus species remain, the last representatives of a cephalopod group that has existed since the late Cambrian period (~500 million years ago).
And so International Cephalopod Awareness Day part 2 draws to a close…and yet I am still working on my big Octopus Day post! If I could stop coughing, I’m sure it things would go faster…
From alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types by Werner Design Werks (published by Chronicle Books)
Sighted by Chris (via grain edit)
…that I haven’t posted anything yet for International Cephalopod Awareness Days: Day 1—Octopus Day.
Sadly, this week has been a perfect storm of illness, work, and visiting family. I’ve been treading water for days, and I’m about ready to let the waves pull me under.
Have no fear, I am working on a post, but in the mean time, please enjoy this…
October 8th, 2009 marks the 3rd annual International Cephalopod Awareness Day. Of course, every day is cephalopod awareness day here at Indie Squid Kid, but I can’t pass up an opportunity to help in my own small way to make everyone even more aware of the coolest animals in the planet. This year, ICAD is a three day event:
Thursday, Oct 8 is Octopus Day
Friday, Oct 9 is Nautilus Night
Saturday, Oct 10 is Squid Day
So what does this mean exactly? The editors at CephalopodCast.com invite anyone in the blogosphere to participate in the three day celebration. Bloggers, artists, poets and musicians are encouraged to create one or more works to mark the occasion and submit them for aggregation on a special Cephalopod Awareness Days commemorative page. Topics can be scientific, cultural or fictional. As long as they somehow include cephalopod awareness, they will be considered. If you don’t have a blog, but still want to contribute, contact the editors for ways your creation can be hosted on the site.
Additionally, free promotional space is available to artists that contribute to the ICAD campaign. Any artist that creates a Cephalopod Awareness Day badge can have it featured prominently on the site, along with a link to their Web site, Etsy shop or portal. See example above. Badges should not be more than 200×200 pixels in jpg or png format. Badges submitted after October 8 will be irrelevant. See the guidelines on the Cephalopod Awareness Days official commemorative page for more details.
For my part, I plan to use these three days to focus on the biology and natural history of the different cephalopod groups. I’ve been wanting to ratchet up the science around here, and can’t think of a better excuse than International Cephalopod Awareness Day!
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