D'AWWWWCTOPUS: post yr images of adorable octopuses here (no squid allowed)

It was at this moment that he knew he fucked up. pic.twitter.com/OM4cYwYLKE

— Kevin (@forensictoxguy) August 21, 2021

that moment just before the lethal neurotoxins from the blue ringed octopus paralyze your muscles and you can't breathe any more!

I have had a very similar experience - "oh wow, look, I think that is a tiny octopus! how magical, never seen one in a rock pool before"
*BING, dozens of blue rings light up on its skin*
"oh shit I am leaving now"

in the thread it diverges into other dangerous Antipodean creatures like the "murder-bird" and on reflection I very much like this colourful little octopus.

if i were australian i would never leave the house

An octopus changing colors in her sleep might be an indication she's dreaming. pic.twitter.com/vkZOLXWPkb

— Figen (@TheFigen) July 24, 2022

gorgeous

YES.

Incidentally: https://www.atlasobscura.com/experiences/cephalopods-online-course

what beauty! but that's gotta be perilous in the wild, surely? if protective camouflage is one of the main objectives/benefits of this ability then flashing like a beacon while you're unconscious seems counterproductive. maybe there has to be a baseline comfort level or established lack of nearby predators before a sleeping octopus relaxes to that degree. damn they are cool.

👑🐙🐙🐙👑

I really wonder what she is dreaming about.

Like, does an octopus having a pleasant dream look different from an octopus having a nightmare?

cat, I'd expect that most most sleeping octopuses aren't out in the open but in secure(?) dens where color flashing isn't such a giveaway.

I really wonder what she is dreaming about.

japanese researchers are way ahead of you on this one (nsfw)

yeah Leee, that makes sense. happy little octopi/octopuses/octopodes, all cozy in their dens, dreaming dreamy octopus dreams.

*ringo starr voice*

YES.

Incidentally: https://www.atlasobscura.com/experiences/cephalopods-online-course

My family and I did the last session of this course because my 8-year-old is a squid fanatic, and it was a very worthwhile and recommendable experience.

*ringo starr voice*

perfect

cross-posted from Weird Animals thread:

More evidence (i.e. RNA editing) that cephalopods are aliens: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/curiouser-and-curiouser-octopuss-evolution-is-even-stranger-than-thought/

― Antifa Lockhart (Leee), Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:38 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

shameless BG bait:

Empathic octopus usually goes nearshore to receive the caresses of children before returning offshore (Sardinia, Italy) pic.twitter.com/Lqth1vaoG0

— Gabriele Corno (@Gabriele_Corno) September 19, 2022

a+ octopus, would caress

wild

Yes this a squid fight me:

This is a piglet squid and it is real.

📸: (Cabrillo Marine Aquarium/Gary Florin) pic.twitter.com/pyf2SnvUh1

— Erin Biba (@erinbiba) July 26, 2021

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/2022/09/lindblad-expeditions-national-geographic-to-explore-kimberley-and-beyond/

pouring one out for the other cephalopod thread, RIP to a real one
even more squiddities and sepiidies of the schooling class - the other cephalopod thread

Doh, I didn't see that thread! Will bookmark it now!

I was a bit tongue in cheek there, I don't think the cephalopod ILX traffic is so intense that we need two threads!

excuse me this is a squid-exclusionary space by design, we absolutely do need two cephalopod threads

https://pbfcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PBF078-Nautical_Awards.jpg

splitter

Octopuses don't have tentacles, they have arms!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/science/octopus-throwing-silt.html

https://vp.nyt.com/video/2022/11/08/104105_1_09tb-angry-octopus-silt02_wg_720p.mp4

exasperation can lead to the deployment of projectiles as a potential manner of cephalopod conflict resolution

we shd quit eating these super-smart aliens imo

An Octopus riding an Eel to avoid being eaten. pic.twitter.com/3zH4GWaA0i

— Weird and Terrifying (@weirdterrifying) December 23, 2022

I have in almost everything. But takoyaki tho.

If you mute the twee music, this is absolutely enchanting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrc489USbM