ZPi Cephalopod News
ZPi Blog Cephalopod Topic
- 2020-08-27 Noon: 22nd Century - "Pilgrims and Wayfarers"
- 2019-06-03 Fae Archaic: A Crime-ridden Fairy Tale
- 2019-05-14 Possible Tree Ammonite Discovered
- 2019-02-25 Tree Octopus Mural In Spokane
- 2019-02-24 Devon Hedge Octopus
- 2019-02-23 "Drom Lunarius": Tree Octopi, Pyramid Eye, & Camels
- More entries about (and sometimes by) cephalopods...
Special Reports
- 2007-02-22 (UPDATED 2007-03-24) Larger Colossal Squid Caught
- New Zealand fishermen in the Ross Sea have caught a colossal squid weighing an estimated 495kg. Click link for collected factoids.
Older Special Reports:
- 2003-07-01 (UPDATED 2003-07-11) Chilean Blob: Not A Cephalopod
- A 12 meter long blob was found on a beach in Chile. It was suspected of being a giant octopus. Turned out to be decayed whale blubber.
- 2003-04-01 (UPDATED 2003-05-24) Colossal Squid Caught
- Fishermen near Antarctica have caught a rare, virtually intact specimen of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (or "colossal squid") -- a very large, very aggressive squid with scores of razor-sharp hooks on its tentacles. Includes article round-up, photos and email from Steve O'Shea.
Recent Headlines
- 2021-08-26 Female Octopuses Throw Things At Males That Are Harassing Them (New Scientist)
- An analysis of footage of octopuses off the coast of Australia "throwing" shells and silt suggests that they intentionally target -- and often hit -- other octopuses. Full paper: In the Line of Fire: Debris Throwing by Wild Octopuses.
- 2021-08-24 And Her Name Is... Gertie! (PDZA)
- After a week of public voting, fans chose Gertie as the name for the new giant Pacific octopus in the Pacific Seas Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
- 2021-08-17 Unlike Humans, Cuttlefish Retain Sharp Memory Of Specific Events In Old Age (phys.org)
- Cuttlefish can remember what, where, and when specific events happened -- right up to their last few days of life. The research results are the first evidence of an animal whose memory of specific events does not deteriorate with age. Original paper: "Episodic-like memory is preserved with age in cuttlefish".
- 2021-08-15 Tatoosh Dies (Boston.com)
- The New England Aquarium reported their giant Pacific octopus "Tatoosh" passed away. "As an ambassador for his species, he inspired awe & helped educate Aquarium guests, while helping Aquarium staff further their knowledge of the needs & behavior of this species. He will be missed."
- 2021-07-09 Did a Cuttlefish Write This? (NY Times)
- Octopuses and squid are full of cephalopod character. But more scientists are making the case that cuttlefish hold the key to unlocking evolutionary secrets about intelligence.
- 2021-07-08 Glass Octopus Caught On Video (Schmidt Ocean Institute)
- Research vessel Falkor, exploring the Phoenix Islands Archipelago, made two rare sightings of a glass octopus (Vitreledonella richardi), a nearly transparent species whose only visible features are its optic nerve, eyeballs and digestive tract. VIDEO & more info.
- 2021-07-06 Suckers For Learning: Why Octopuses Are So Intelligent (The Conversation)
- Our last common ancestor with the octopus existed more than 500 million years ago. So why is it that they seem to show such peculiar similarities with humans, while at the same time appearing so alien?
- 2021-07-06 Diversity of Tiny Bobtail Squid Driven by Major Ancient Biogeographic Events (SciTechDaily)
- Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have used genetic techniques to show that bobtail squid and bottletail squid share a relatively recent common ancestor and that major biogeographical events might have shaped the evolution of the many different species.
- 2021-06-24 Untangling The Long-Armed Mystery Of The Bigfin Squid (Science Friday)
- The elbowed, spindly appendages of the bigfin squid have long stunned the public. But scientists say there is more to this deep-sea dweller than its ghostly appearance.
- 2021-06-23 Dozens Of Baby Squid Are Orbiting Our Planet Right Now (Popular Science)
- Earlier this month, NASA launched a routine SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. But onboard that ship were 128 highly unusual passengers: newly hatched Hawaiian bobtail squid.
- 2021-06-19 VIDEO: Octopus Pushes Pipe With Her Eggs Inside Back Towards Ocean (Sheree Marris)
- On June 6, Sheree Marris, an Australian marine biologist, discovered a white pipe washed ashore on a beach in Melbourne’s McCrae suburb and decided to pick it up. She saw reddish-colored legs start to emerge from inside the pipe. It was an octopus.
- 2021-06-18 UK MPs: Octopuses Feel Pain & Need Legal Protection (BBC)
- When you think of an octopus or lobster, what comes to mind? Seafood or intelligent marine life? A group of Conservative MPs think it's the latter and argue they should be included in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which recognises animal sentience -- the capacity of animals to have feelings, including pain and suffering.
- 2021-04-22 Seeing Inside the Newly Discovered Emperor Dumbo Octopus (Hakai)
- The discovery of the emperor Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis imperator) stemmed from the use of nondestructive MRI and CT scans -- techniques that could revolutionize taxonomy. (Original paper.)
- 2021-04-02 Mysterious "Blobs" Near Norway Are Full Of Squid Mucus And Embryos (Live Science)
- Each enormous, jelly-like orb, more than 3 feet (1 meter) wide, hovering in place partway between the seafloor and the surface, could contain hundreds of thousands of eggs of a common squid called Illex coindetii, a DNA analysis revealed.
- 2021-03-26 Vampire Squid Ancestor Died In "Eternal Embrace" With Its Dinner (Live Science)
- About 180 million years ago, an eight-armed vampyromorph predator seized its underwater prey -- another eight-armed beastie -- and began to nibble on it, until disaster struck and they both died from suffocation, a new study finds.
- Show all previous headlines...
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