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Half-Squid, Half-Octopus Discovered Off of Hawaii
Otter writes "A unique creature that's been dubbed an 'octosquid' with eight arms and a squid-like mantle, was discovered off Hawaii. The creature, of a previously unknown species, was trapped in the net covering a 3,000 foot-deep intake tube for the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. From the article: 'The octosquid was pulled to the surface, along with three rattail fish and half a dozen satellite jellyfish, and stayed alive for three days. According to War, the lab usually checks its filters once a month, but this time, it put a plankton net in one of the filters and checked it two weeks later. The pitch-black conditions at 3,000 feet below sea level are unfamiliar to most but riveting to scientists who have had the opportunity to submerge. The sea floor is full of loose sediment, big boulders and rocks, and a lot of mucuslike things floating in the water, which are usually specimens that died at the surface and drifted to the bottom.'"
All delicious!
There have been 8 armed squid described before including the Taningia danae species by the same scientists, though our understanding of these animals is poor at best. Though I have to say I am puzzled as to why the Octosquid was assigned to the Mastigoteuthidae genus other than it seems to be a catchall genus for weird squid species that we do not know much about...
Oh and hey Otter! What's up dude? I actually had no idea these guys were in Kona. Had that been known, I would have visited last time I was there.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
Now that octosquid is here, could the OctoParrot be far behind?
They have been calling it an OctoSquid. I have to say, I dislike that. I would prefer that they call it a Squidopus!
Also, it looks a lot like a weird Japanese sex toy.
Inter-species tentacle porn!!!
This is not "half squid, half octopus". This is a squid with eight arms that is no more related to octopuses than any other sort of squid.
Squids and octopuses are far too far apart to breed.
The cake is a pie
As someone with a deathly fear of squid *and* octopus I have to say that it really feels like Satan and Mother Nature have decided to tag-team together in an all-out effort to make my darkest nightmares become incarnate. Next week they'll find a jellysquidfishapus and I'll end up like one of those H.P. Lovecraft characters who sees the most horrible thing possible and just dies on the spot.
I'll miss you guys.
Here's another article with a more close-up photo. Does anybody else hear a slithering voice saying "The Stars Are Right" when you look into its ever-so-hypnotic eye?
TFA fails to explain a curious trait of deep-sea beasties like this. They're red because in very low light conditions, red appears black - good camouflage in an inky abyss. Red pigment is much easier for creatures to synthesize than black.
I remember an underwater nightclub, a squid bachelorette party, lots of dancing, some blow...
Oh shit.