HOME |
RSS | 
The species Metasepia Pfefferi is commonly called the flamboyant cuttlefish. Not only is it colorful, it “walks” along the bottom of the sea between Malaysia and Australia. According to a rather dry scientific description at Wikipedia, the color changes are a complex form of camouflage, used either to blend in with the cuttlefish’s background or to warn away predators. The cuttlefish’s flesh is poisonous, making it only one of three known toxic cephalopods. -via the Presurfer
If you like octopuses and squids, you’ll love this collection of marine lithographs from the collection “I Cefalopodi!” at the the Biodiversity Heritage Library on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution. See nine pieces of the collection at BibliOdyssey. Link
Plarchie is a 8-meter long squid knitted entirely out of plastic bags! Deadly Knitshade made and displayed him at London’s Natural History Museum, where he also posed for pictures with a statue of Charles Darwin. See more pictures at Whodunnknit. Link -via Ectoplasmosis
Comments Off
Paul, the octopus who predicted the outcome of World Cup soccer matches (featured previously at Neatorama), has died at his home at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany. He was two years old.
After Germany’s semi-final defeat, Paul tipped Spain to beat the Netherlands in the final, which prompted one news agency to report he had spurred a jump in demand for Spanish government bonds. Paul’s prediction duly came to pass: Spain won.
Staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in western Germany said in a statement they were “devastated” to learn of Paul’s death when they returned to work on Tuesday.
“He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life,” said the centre’s manager Stefan Porwoll.
There was no indication that Paul had predicted his passing. Link -via Metafilter
The octopus makes a great metaphor -it has many arms that can do multiple things at once, it is strange and unfamiliar, and it has a long reputation for grabbing things. It’s no wonder the cephalopod gets used in political cartoons and propaganda. The blog Vulgar Army documents these historical uses of the octopus, usually to make some entity look too powerful and/or evil, with pictures and in-depth information. Shown is “The Devil Fish of California Politics” from 1889. Link -via Nag on the Lake
"Neatorama isn’t a cephalopod blog," but here’s a marvelous art of squid art by Skot Olsen, titled "Blessed Saint Architeuthis" (2008). Skot loves the sea but was stung by a jellyfish at a tender young age, which explains a lot about his artwork: Link – via Ectoplasmosis
