Archive for the ‘All Things Octopi’ Category
Australian study discovers that all octopuses are venomous
“Dr Bryan Fry from the Department of Biochemistry at the Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne said that while the blue-ringed octopus species remain the only group that aredangerous to humans, the other species have been quietly using their venom for predation, such as paralysing a clam into opening its shell.”
Latest at www.Orrot.org: The Night Octopus
I’ve contributed another one of my imaginary animal posts at http://www.orrot.org, this one on the Night Octopus.
Excerpt:
The night octopus is a small purple cephalopod principally distinguished from its mundane kin by its small air bladder, located on the creature’s dorsal region. This singular gift of Mother Nature allows the night octopuses to leave their briny home at low tide and wander among the village people of Baro-Kar, en masse.
With pleasure!
Bored octopus floods Santa Monica Pier aquarium
A bored octopus managed to flood the Santa Monica Pier aquarium by swimming to the top of its enclosure and disassembling a valve in its enclosure’s recycling system sometime Wednesday night.
“It had grabbed the tube that pulls out the water and caused it to spray outside the tank,” said aquarium education specialist Nick Fash. Judging by the size of the flood, Fash estimated that the water flowed for about 10 hours before the first staff member, Aaron Kind, showed up for work.
Octopuses are widely considered to be the world’s smartest invertebrate, exhibiting a level of intelligence comparative to a house cat. They’re notorious escape artists, and keeping one enclosed requires a lot of forethought. It is common to provide captive octopuses with toys and simple puzzles in order to stave off boredom.
An octopus drawing by Victor Hugo
I was unaware that author Victor Hugo was also a visual artist of no small talent. Happily, my friend Jeffrey Ford (a writer of unparalleled ability, I assure you) has graciously filled this gap in my knowledge by bringing a drawing by Hugo, of an octopus no less, to my attention.
He found the drawing at this remarkable blog, which looks to be full of similarly intriguing images. It’s well worth a visit.
Speaking of things well worth your time, you must purchase Mr. Ford’s collection of fiction The Drowned Life. It’s probably the best book I’ve read this year. Particularly of interest for all of us living through this troubling financial period is the story for which the collection is named in which a man ceases to struggle against the burdens of his life and sinks beneath the waves to a city inhabited by other lost souls. I leave you with this excerpt:
“Closer by, three sharks circled in the swells, their fins visible above chocolate waves. Each one of those slippery machines of Eden stood for a catastrophe in the secret symbolic language of this story One was Financial Ruin, I can tell you that – a stainless-steel beauty whose sharp maw made Hatch’s knees literally tremble like in a cartoon.”
Books received: brought to you by the Giant Octopus!
I came home to find an enormous cephalopod on my doorstep. The nearest beach is several hundred miles from here, but somehow this thing managed to plot its way to my home via nothing more than a sturdy cardboard box and its own will to live. The creature is quite enormous, and has taken to my home like it owns the joint – I’m scared to tell it otherwise. Right now it’s smoking a menthol Kool and watching the Discovery Channel in my living room. I mean, c’mon – look at the thing!
Meg and the octopus
It’s even become very friendly with my wife. Those two left me at home a couple of hours ago. They said that they were just dashing out for sushi and a few drinks, and here I am, pacing and talking nervously with the cats…when I can call them out from under the bed. They’re a bit spooked by our new houseguest.
Oh, and the yodeling! The damn thing yodels like a Swiss mountaineer! You never heard anything like it…and hope that you never will.
Before the octopus left it decided to told me that it was going to take over my “Books Received” column for the night.
I thought I’d humor it for the night. Yeah, that’s it…
links and things
Octopuses actually have six arms and two legs
More cool news about my favorite, tool-using, hyper-intelligent sea-roaming invertebrate:
Author Jeffrey Ford (whose new collection “The Drowned Life” is outstanding by the way) turned me on to this article about a study recently completed by a group of commercial aquariums. Results seem to indicate that octopuses actually use six of their tentacles as arms, and two as “legs.
Speaking of octopuses, I cannot tell you how much I covet this 36″ long stuffed octopus by Fiesta Toys. Forty bucks is just a little out of my price range, but if I had this thing it would live on my bed for the rest of my life.
36" octopus by Fiesta Toys!
FilthyLuker’s “Octo-pied Building”
Octopuses given Rubik’s Cubes
UK scientists have supplied twenty five octopuses Rubik’s Cubes to determine if they have a favored tentacle, much like human beings favor a right or left arm. The study is aimed at reducing stress levels among captive octopuses. They’re very intelligent, and extremely prone to stress. And I love them. This is all.
(Tip of the hat to Rick Klaw and Claudia Garrett)
