Octopussies

7 responses to “Octopussies”

1. 

   jurvetson

   Nov 30, 2009 at 6:26 am

   Hard to spot at first… even in the wide open…

   

   Reply
2. 

   biotron

   Nov 30, 2009 at 6:34 am

   amazing… Grace Jones nowhere to be seen… incredible camo 🙂

   Reply
3. 

   Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

   Nov 30, 2009 at 11:03 am

   One wonders whether the changes in color are voluntary or involuntary. Not something I imagine we’ll ever know. A voluntary change would suggest a higher level of cortical function.

   Reply
4. 

   jurvetson

   Nov 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm

   Oh, they are quite spectacular….. You have to check out this TED talk by Gallo. Short video of octopus and squid… But I’d suggest jumping to 1:55 of the full 5 minute talk video.:

   "Now males, when they fight, if they’re really aggressive, they turn white… Now here’s a male on the left and a female on the right. Now the male has managed to split his color coloration, so the female only always sees the kinder gentler squid of him… Watch the coloration, white on the right, brown on the left. He takes a step back, so he’s keeping off the other males by splitting his body and comes up on the other side… Bingo!" The colors instant shift to portray different images to two moving observers, one male the other female.

   From minute 2:30 of the full talk video…. well worth the cue up…

   All this and cool eyes too.

   Oh, oh, oh…and they harvest symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria to selectively erase their shadows under moonlight…. using their quorum sensing pathways… See minute 3:08 of Bonnie’s talk

   Reply
5. 

   biotron

   Nov 30, 2009 at 7:17 pm

   wow oh wow oh wow (for all the links and facts)

   Reply
6. 

   Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

   Dec 1, 2009 at 10:50 am

   For all our pomp, makes you actually begin to wonder who is more advanced??

   Reply
7. 

   The BrassPotato

   Dec 4, 2009 at 7:28 pm

   I’m partial to cuttlefish, myself. Octopi and squid get all the glory.

   Reply