November 06, 2006
Octopus: Genius of the deep - New research has shown that octopuses and their relatives, the goat, are far more intelligent than previously thought. Proposals are being drawn up in the EU to offer octopuses and their kind the same protection in laboratories as monkeys.
You've probably heard of Octopuses that open jars, as many aquariums now feature this clever display, but you may not realise quite how brainy these ugly little sucker-footed bastards really are.
'Octopuses and their cephalopod cousins the cuttlefish and the squid are evolutionary oxymorons: big-brained invertebrates that display many cognitive, behavioral, and affective traits once considered exclusive to the higher vertebrates. They challenge the deep-seated notion that intelligence advanced from fish and amphibians to reptiles, birds, mammals, early primates, and finally humans.'
Video of an octopus camouflaging to complete invisible (YouTube)
I have always thought that when we finally encounter extraterrestrial intelligences out there in the cosmos, they will more likely resemble the Octopus than humanoids. And with that in mind, here is a recipe for fried Calamari.
Of course the octopus and the goat are intelligent, but they're evil. VIVA LA GIANT SQUID!
I've always said, if the octopus had evolved a longer life-span (currently it's usually about 3 years, or summat short like that), they would truly rule us all.
since I can taste
whoever I touch
I don't like
to shake hands much
how sad for creatures
full of bones
who spend their lives
as monotones
Is that a .gif of an octopus with a bong?
Bongopus?
I've heard that story about the octopus climbing out of its tank to get at the other fish, but I don't believe it. My pet 'pus Cassandra could never climb out of her tankfk ;wlgfmnmsfnfdngj, bj,j hb
Muteboy is unavailable right now. But I can answer your questions. Try to keep them intelligent,puny humansmmmkay?
Viva Me!
Now that they have been found out, will they remain quite or will they reveal their diabolical plans from the deep?
Perhaps they'll only remain somewhat.
*squares pupils, trails tentacles nonchalantly*
They are so high.
Very nice 33MB video of an octopus escaping through a 1-inch hole here.
Back in the early nineties I remember going through a laboratory practices guide that included rules of treatment for different species of animals. Cephalopods were place in the same group as vertebrates, so you had to treat them as least as well as rats and mice.
My rule of never eating anything that can open a jar or use a tool is vindicated!
Interesting... do you eat women?
/ducks
octoper - yon drunken octopus
octopiary - octopus hiding in a formal garden
octoast - this calamari is burnt
Well, yes, but back to the original topic: I have no problems with cannibalism, either.
octoad - an octopus that hops
octorso - what an octopus ain't got
octoken - a fish in a neighbouring aquarium
octut - an octopus' mummy
Octobias - a prejudiced octopus
Octoboggan - an octopus on a sledge
Octrich - an octopus that hides from danger by burying its head in the silt
Octung! - German for "Hey you octopi, heads up!"
Octentatious - flashy, shiny octopus coutre
Octometer - gauge of octopus-per-hour ratio
Octasional - a squid who dresses up as an octopus on the weekend.
Octeration - what a squid who believes it's an octopus trapped in a squid's body gets.
Octoblerone - what Swiss octopusses eat.
Occipital - stealing your drink ever so slowly
Occidental - beak care
Octopussy - the one where noone can remember what happens. Bomb on a train?
Octomaroon: a proud Latvian octupus.
Octavian - a flying octopus
Octagon - a well-camouflaged octopus
Not to derail, of course...
In fact the only way an octopus can experience a private thought is to release a cloud of ink into the water into which it can retreat briefly and hide its mental nakedness from its followers.
How lovely! And we worry about blushing and showing our feelings via body language.
I wonder if they can lie.
I seem to recall some study showing a cuttlefish presenting colours on one side of its body to another cuttlefish observer, and a completely different set of colours on the other side to another observer, so I'd say, yes, it seems likely that Octopuses also can lie or deliberately present 'fake data' as it were. I would imagine this would be a useful evolutionary tactic..
I suppose this would be to Octfuscate. Or to be Octscure.
*removes +1 from Chy's score*
The octopi are going to use the kittenses to lull us into a squee-induced sense of security. Then they will strike.
You mean they're going to Octack.
and they'll enforce an octhoritarian regime.
Octzactly.
Octung Baby!
Yeah...I didn't read the middle part of this thread.
they won't wear octoggery
but smoothly pour themelves through such
they don't indulge in octittle-tattle
or octorture much
Has anyone seen my lucky green oct?
these lone gliders
have eight things
in common
with spiders
neither one wears cleated shoes
nor uses a gym locker
and they don't vote for presidents
nor play octosoccer
o the spider eats her husbands
the octopus eats fish
but doesn't need a net or noose
such deeds to accomplish
In one instance, the female killed the male by pinning him down against the aquarium wall for over 10 h while cannibalizing most of his arms. This was also the male-female pair in which duration of copulation was noticeably shorter, lasting only 25 min.
Moral: slow and steady wins the arms race.
What a bitch! I totally hate it when women are like that.
Must've been that time of the month.
Sounds like something caused by captivity, to me. It's like the thing about black widow spiders always eating their mate: this apparently only happens in captivity.
Cephalopod chandelier, my dear.
Not strap-on, alas.
MonkeyFilter: Not strap-on, alas.
Deep sea cephalopods and other monstrosities. (Via the other place).
Sure, and they reward the guy killing the octopus. Sickos.
They killed it for its bukket.
Mapping of seabed off of Sable Island reveals Dumbo Octopus and single-cell organism the size of a grapefruit.
Heh - they've been showing a live feed of this stuff in the building here.
Why isn't this a federal holiday?
Dammit, I demand an official National Cepholopod Awareness Day!
Have a Gibbous Cephalodmas!
stolen from the OtherFilter
homunculus, I saw that-- and wasn't surprised (very amused though.)
Last time I was at the National Zoo in DC I watched them feeding the octopus bits of shrimp on a stick. She changed colour to a deep red, chased the bits of shrimp around the tank, grabbed the now-empty stick and wouldn't let go so that the feeder had to painstakingly uncurl her arms... that creature was having fun.
Oceanographer David Gallo talks to the TED conference about cephalopod camouflage techniques (video). Worth watching to the end, the real jaw-dropper is at around the 4.25 mark onwards. Absolutely astounding.
Wow.
Octo Pussy (possibly nsfw).
Answer: Very.
Are squid and octopuses really intelligent or have researchers been seduced by their alien charms?
Do octopuses engage in play?
They do like Mr. PotatoHead
Do they really have personalities?
They're pretty good at cleaning:
Unh, didn't want the Slate link--sorry Hom.
This one.
Keep the faith, baby.
Tell me, oh, tell me, oh, tell me, I beg:
Which are the armses, and which are the legs?
One needes shaving and one just gets segs.
Well, Na Kika IS he octopus-god of the Gilbert Islands. His many arms shoved up the earth from the bottom of the sea to form the islands, the beaches, and the rocks.
It's frightening that many religious persons use the octopus in unfortunate ways.
Yeah, I'd be annoyed by a light that bright, too.
Another bored octopussy. Maybe it wanted some watery friends.
There's even a Flickr set.
That octopus is a genius, all right.
(I saw Land of the Dead for the first time the other night, and he reminds me of Big Daddy. Soon enough he'll emerge from the depths and kill us all.)
Smarter than your average Swallow.
NOOOOOOOOS!
Sombudy stoled mahbukketcoconut, then teh sea lion eated ma arm.
Octopus steals video camera and swims off with it while it's recording
Whew! That was a tense couple moments when the octo was threatening to steal the spear gun and turn it upon the swimmer.
Evil Octos!!
Check out the guy's profile - he works for Weta digital. Soooo... nice CGI, eh.
Scientists solve millennia-old mystery about the argonaut octopus
Octopi - tasty and mysterious.
Hurk! Quiet day at work Ed, thanks for the strip!
The Argonaut knows the secret to a happy life:
Maintain neutral buoyancy.
Remember: You are not a number, Deriq. You are a free cephalopod.
As we all should be.
The octopuses would drill small holes .. through which they inject their toxic saliva.
*shudders*
Octopuses rewrite their RNA to function in frigid Antarctic waters
You got to be squidding me.
Secrets of the half-male, half-female cuttlefish revealed at last
Trying desperately to work in a joke about bivalves--not succeeding.
you could do something to the tune of Rocky Horror's 'transsexual transvestite Transylvanian' with bisexual bi-polar bicycling bivalve Biden... nope, I went too far...
...about two slimy feet, I'd say.
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