Octopus maorum
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
This is a wonderfully done, very clear explanation of squid color, made using simple hand-drawn animation. See, this is communicating science!
CreatureCast Episode 1 from Casey Dunn on Vimeo.
(From the Creature Cast at the Dunn lab)
Best part: it glows in the dark.
Added by popular demand:
If you’re considering a pet, you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Wow, when they’re all laid out like that, you just have to choose the squid.
Now wait — maybe you’ve got some brain-damaged children running around who chose poorly, or you flipped a coin and are now stuck with the decision to get puppies. Don’t despair! Get both! In fact, get lots of puppies — they make excellent squid chow, and they’re also useful fresh stock to have around in case peckish atheists come to visit.
These are all the same species, even the same individual, from photographs taken within a short time as it was jetting away.
You can find a larger image on TONMO.
I swear, there’s a moment in this video where the octopus looks like it’s trying to get intimate with Steve Leonard.
It’s a regular event nowadays that the Humboldt squid move up the coast of California, stirring up a little hysteria as they go. These are big squid and they can be aggressive, but San Diego is probably safe.
Probably.
Although you might wonder why a cephalopod enthusiast lives in Minnesota, about as far from the sea as anyone can get…
