Many of you know that I have a degree in biology and, as a result, I am a sucker for animals of all kinds, even the squishy kind like the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, who has been documented as carrying coconut shells to a specific location and made into a shelter.
Aussie Scientists
Find Coconut-Carrying Octopus
This is the first time an inverterbrate has been known to do this.
Cool beans!
OK, don't you all get excited at once ;-)
I just saw the video on Fox, really interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in Hawaii when hubby the Grouch was in the Navy. Almost every restaurant has Octopus on the menu and on the seafood buffet. Looked creepy and I would never taste it.
Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
Saw this video earlier today, I loved it. I'm a huge fan of cephalopods, especially the cuttlefish. I always wanted one for a pet but they live so short in captivity... unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteDebbie: The video is awesome. Those cephalopods are way smarter than we thought. That is what I found exciting about it.
ReplyDeleteMe, I'm not much of a calimari/squid/octopus eater... I've tasted them, but I don't really enjoy the flavor.
I had a fantastic biology professor who changed many students from those who backed away from our fellow creatures to those who appreciated and wanted to learn more, even the ones who wouldn't win conventional beauty contests.
ReplyDeleteI owe him a great debt.
Brad: I'm a fan of cephalopods too, and, if you like science fiction, I would recommend Stephen Baxter's "Manifold: Time".
ReplyDeleteJan: Sounds like my kind of high school bio teacher. I, too, was lucky enough to have a teacher who set me on my path and he was an awesome example. Thanks, Mr. McC.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I have developed a love of all of the world's critters.
Very cool beans! I loved this. I am not a scientist, but I have always thought that there was something about them that was smart.
ReplyDeleteSomething in those eyes.
brad: I'm a huge cephalopod fan too. They are so smart that I didn't put it past them that they could do this.
ReplyDeleteSaw the video on CNN earlier today, cool and bizarre
ReplyDelete"A FAN" OF CEPHALOPODS?
ReplyDeleteMan, do I live a sheltered life :-)
Fry mine!!
Z just cracked me up with the "fry mine". Would that be with or without the coconut?
ReplyDeleteCool beans!
ReplyDeleteI'll say.
It used to be that biologists said that only primates did such "tool using."
Ananda Girl: They are smart and very curious. I remember seeing a video of a diver on the ocean floor who had approached a large
ReplyDeleteoctopus slowly, and rather than running away, the octopus extended an arm and was feeling the diver's mask. It was amazing footage.
Chuck: Yes.
Z: lol! You are such a foodie.
Cephalopods have long been misunderstood. See Squid Moms. I'm glad they're finally being studied and understood better.
DaBlade: It was a funny line.
ReplyDeleteAlways On Watch: That's the beauty of science. When done right, it will ferret out the truth eventually.
When done improperly, you end up with a boondoggle like anthropogenic climate change.
woohooo!
ReplyDeleteHuh. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS! Wonder if he/she was bored or just being creative? They have been known to do some pretty strange things.
ReplyDeleteWoman Honor Thyself: Are you really happy or are you in Z's camp of batter & fry the squid?
ReplyDeleteBrooke: Ditto.
Nanc: I don't know, but these critters show quite a bit of brain power for a body that is basically a bucket of goo.
Cube...I'm so suspicious when I read your posts. I thought you were trying to fool us. You aren't right? How bizarre, the octopus, not you:) As far as eating them-- ewwww...too chewy.
ReplyDeleteBrenda Jean: :-) I like that you are suspicious of some of my posts(sometimes you have reason to be suspicious), but this one is documented. In fact, there have been many cases of cephalopods acting in ways that show them to be smarter than we ever thought.
ReplyDeleteBTW I don't like to eat them either.