Ecology & Zoology

The Squid and the Whale: New Disney Flick?

I live in an academic bubble into which very little pop culture penetrates. I guess a few years ago there was a movie called The Squid and the Whale? I have just learned of its existence. Disappointingly, it features no marine animals or underwater scenes ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 6 2009 - 6:24pm

Deep-Sea Squid Ink Themselves For Unknown Reasons

My friend and colleague Stephalopod published this cool paper a couple of years ago about how deep-sea squids use their ink. The fun fact from this paper that I trot out most often in social situations is a weird behavior called "mantle fills." ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 8 2009 - 1:15am

Squid Fronts And Backs, Ups And Downs

One of my favorite zoologist habits is to gesture on one's own body when describing an animal's anatomy. The weirder the animal, the funnier the implicit analogy. "These worms have a ventral nerve cord," I explain, drawing a line from m ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Nov 10 2009 - 11:07am

This is a spider. This is a spider on drugs. Any questions?

It doesn't get much better than strung-out spiders and a white dude using ghetto slang. And Canada. Two caveats: one, you may want to watch this out of hearing from impressionable young children. It's not terrible but the occasional joke may be b ...

Blog Post - Becky Jungbauer - Nov 11 2009 - 10:47am

More Ridiculous Squid Reporting

The Monterey Herald hit close to home today with Turning the tables on giant, predatory squid: These fascinatingly grotesque creatures can reach 7 feet in length and weigh in excess of 100 pounds, are known cannibals and can tear off a fisherman's han ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 12 2009 - 7:55pm

Visit from the Alaskan Octopus Contingent!

I'm at a conference. It's keeping me busy. Today my friend and fellow conspirator^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H grad student Julie gave an awesome talk about Humboldt squid in the California Current. Also, there were three talks about octopuses! One of my favo ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 14 2009 - 1:55am

What is the Most Useless Cephalopod Trivium?

Possibly I have found it: Species of Opisthoteuthis are the most compressed, in the anterior-posterior axis, of any cephalopod. Mmmm! Syrup, anyone? ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 16 2009 - 1:41am

Common Names For Uncommon Octopods

Some discussion over the identity of Nemo's little octopus friend Pearl has led me into a deep investigation of Grimpoteuthis (dumbo octopuses) and Opisthoteuthis (flapjack octopuses). Both are shortened on the antero-posteral axis (which, yes, takes ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Nov 18 2009 - 2:44am

Cephalopods Are Coming Out of the Woodwork (Figuratively)

First the bad news: our octopus died. Climbed out over the astroturf, was found on the floor the next day. Very, very sad. But, the consolation: on the same day, a dozen or so live market squid appeared in our lab, fresh from the spawning grounds, ready to ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 18 2009 - 9:04pm

Baby Cuttlefish Are Awesome

And they're on exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Splash Zone! Seriously, if you are within 100 miles of Monterey, you should go see them now. If you're not, well... sorry! Take my word for it, they're really cute! You'll have ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 20 2009 - 1:22am