PZ Myers' Friday Cephalopods

[Aphos]

OK, but how the */?!* do you fit a nappy on that baby?

The topology is interesting, but not that complicated...at least compared to 6 dimensional manifolds.

[Aphos]

[Opsa]

Gorgeous! Those tendrils remind me of those holiday lights that are strung in clear plastic tubes.

[Swatopluk]

This one looks truly alien but not necessarily evil.

[pieces o nine]

ooooooooooooh

[Aphos]

ooooooooooooh

Purty, ain't it?

[Sibling DavidH]

I can't tell how big it is.  I'd call it pretty if it's under 6" but downright scary if over 2 feet. 

[Aphos]

This is a male Pelagic Octopus.  The males are only about 10 cm (4 in) in length.  The females are much larger at about 1 m (3 ft) in length.  Here is a female...

[Sibling DavidH]

OK, the male is pretty and the female is scary.  This is what one so often finds in life. 

[pieces o nine]

'Twas the women, not the warriors, turned those stark enthusiasts pale -
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

[Opsa]

Hey- I'd be scary too, if someone was pinching my head like that!

[Aphos]

It's Friday once again, and now we have...

Squids Making Woo!!!





I've got to say, this is another of those squid photos that looks more like a drawing than a photo.

These are members of the genus Sepioteuthis.  It doesn't say what species.  Here is a photo from the Wikipedia article on the genus.  I find this photo eerily beautiful.

[Sibling DavidH]

I find this photo eerily beautiful.

I agree, but it's right scary, too.  He looks like his beady eyes are sizing you up.  As to the other two - if that's how they reproduce, no wonder they look so weird. 

[Opsa]

I think they're supremely beautiful. Are their eyes literally glowing? (Or is it just all that woo?  )

This morning th'Opsalette and her friend were watching "Ponyo", and every time an octopus would show up they would shout "OCTOPUS" !

[Aphos]

Are their eyes literally glowing?

I'm not certain, but I think it likely their eyes are somewhat like cat eyes in that they have a reflective layer behind the retina.  That is a common adaptation to low light conditions.  The light is reflected back through the retina which gives the light sensitive cells a second chance to pick up the image.  That is why cat eyes "glow" at night.  You are seeing the light reflected back out.