Cinematic cephalopod

A children’s movie titled Lost and Found is out; it features a little boy and a penguin. Bleh, you say, penguins are so trite…there is nothing compelling in that. However, there is a scene in which the two protagonists are rescued by a friendly cephalopod.

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I must endorse this excellent attempt to beguile young children into trusting giant tentacled entities — it will serve us well when the Old Ones come.

(via Sarah Ditum)

Octopods from the Cretaceous!

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Several new and spectacular cephalopod fossils from 95 million years ago have been found in Lebanon. “Spectacular” is not hyperbole — these specimens have wonderfully well-preserved soft parts, mineralized in fine-grained calcium phosphate, and you can see…well, take a look.

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(Click for larger image)

Keuppia levante sp. nov. from the Upper Cenomanian (Metoicoceras geslinianum Zone) of Hâdjoula (Lebanon). A,
holotype, MSNM i26320a. B, sketch of the holotype.

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