(no subject)

[squamous]

Discover has a very interesting article up about the brainpower of the octopus. I have heard this kind of talk about octopuses - octopi? - before. They're like superheroes with all of their strange undersea powers - clouds of ink, color changing, jar opening.

"Spoiler", here is my favorite part of the article:

'Some have been caught sneaking from their tanks at night into other exhibits, gobbling up fish, then sneaking back to their tanks, damp trails along walls and floors giving them away.'

I don't think I want to work nights at the aquarium anymore!

Comments

[heyjana.livejournal.com]

That is so weird! They should put up an octupus-cam!

[squamous.livejournal.com]

I'd watch it!

[harold-penis.livejournal.com]

I've heard stories like that, where the octopi were sneaking into the crab tank by night, eating the insides out of all the crabs, then scurrying back to their own tanks, all innocent, wide eyes in the morning - "Beats me doc, they must have been empty shells when you caught 'em".

I love that their brains are so compressible, too. Supersmart, and capable of squeezing your entire head up the kitchen spigot? That is truly laudable.

[dahliablue.livejournal.com]

I actually saw an amazing feat by a small octopus once. I was at a an aquarium fish shop in the saltwater fish section. They had a lot of the expensive fish in clear acrylic tanks that were connected, but had dividers. So, each fish had its own cubicle, so to speak. I was enamored by the octopus because he was so small and beautiful. As I continued to watch him, I realized he was trying to squeeze his way past the divider to get into the next cube where a puffer was. I thought, "Surely he'll pop. He can't fit through that". He worked at it and, sure enough, he got as flat as a pancake and squeezed through this tiny space into the puffer's area. I figured he might not be friendly with the puffer, so I went to tell the store manager. He said the octopus was a master escape artist and they were always finding him in different tanks or on top of the tank! It was fascinating to see. :)
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[squamous.livejournal.com]

The wily octopus finds a way to turn even the lack of bones into an advantage. It's an invertebrate and loving it. Although, I guess technically my brain is compressible as well, and could be squeezed through, I dunno, one of my nostrils or something. I'd rather not do it of course, and probably wouldn't be in much shape to pillage the neighboring tanks afterwards.

[squamous.livejournal.com]

That's pretty wild... I'd like to see it. It's one thing to talk about but I'm sure it's still startling to behold.

[harold-penis.livejournal.com]

I've palpated the preserved brain of a sheep and the fresh brain of a pig, and found both disappointingly crumbly.

[squamous.livejournal.com]

I've seen Return of the Living Dead and uh... hmmm. My experience with brains ends there in so many ways.