first cephalopod of the day blog !

the results are in, and i got 13 responses! every single one of them responded with "yes" for an expansion to a cephalopod of the day blog, so today i'm celebrating with a cephalopod from each of the 4 major groups: cuttlefish, octopus, squids, and nautilus!
enjoy this mega blog :]

the blanket octopus is a stunning feat of evolution: displaying the biggest case of sexual dimorphism in the animal kingdom, females weighing 10,000-40,000x that of a male. and length-wise, females can measure to about 2 metres, and males just around 2 centimetres!

however, that is not the only astonishing thing about these creatures. the blanket octopus is completely immune to the venom of a portuguese man o' war, and females have been known to rip the tentacles off of them and use them as weapons. you just cannot make this shit up!!

 

NAUTILUS: CHAMBERED NAUTILUS

the chambered nautilus, though very visually different from its more advanced cousins, is still a pretty crazy feat of evolutionary engineering. its species has existed unchanged for nearly 500 million years, making it older than all land animals, sharks, and trees! additionally, these guys have also survived at least 5 mass extinction events unscathed. without a doubt, they will outlive us all.

it is able to percieve water depth, speed, and direction in order to stay upright and bouyant, despite only being able to see light and dark with its eyes. additionally, they have a lifespan of about 15-20 years, a big contrast to their shorter lived relatives.


CUTTLEFISH: FLAMBOYANT CUTTLEFISH

when nature makes something pretty, that's usually nature's way of telling you it's deadly. that is also the case for the flamboyant cuttlefish, as it is one of the three only known cephalopods to have toxins, and the only cephalopod to be considered poisonous. 

though, why would you want to eat one of these little guys anyway? they're far too cute for a fate like that. as is the case with other small cuttlefish species, the flamboyant cuttlefish also uses its tentacles to "crawl" on the reef floor, all while flashing a hypnotic display of colours. below are some gifs of these dudes in action, i can't get enough of them.

SQUID: GIANT SQUID

i definitely wanted to save this squid for a special occasion.. the giant squid takes a shared first place in my "top cephas of all time", and for good reason. these deep sea critters are nutty.

the maximum estimated size of the giant squid is about 13 metres (43 feet), making it a suitable prey item for large predatory sea life, such as the sperm whale measuring at about 16 metres. the relationship giant squids have with sperm whales is largely a mystery, though it can be safely assumed they're evolutionary enemies. most adult sperm whales have been identified with large scars and sucker marks along the front of their head, which would be formed by the rotating hooks located on each of the squid's suckers.

however, these battles have never been recorded, nor have giant squids ever been recorded hunting prey themselves. what fascinates me is that we have known that they do exist for such a long time, yet know so little about these animals. population estimates of the giant squid range from 4-130 million, but these numbers can go much higher. so where they at ??



i'd like to finish off this blog with some video links of all these animals in action, and i want to wish you all a very lovely sunday!

blanket octopus

chambered nautilus

flamboyant octopus

giant squid