#719: Squid

The Squids are around 304 cephalapod species, characterised by their elongated mantles. Squids range in size from 60 cm, to the 14 m Colossal Squid - the largest invertebrate in the world. Like their cousins, the Cuttlefish, Squid have four pairs of legs and two tentacles. In the males of many shallow-water species, two of these legs are modified into reproductive organs. Deep-water Squid, on the other hand, have the longest penis in relation to body size of any moblie animal (the only one longer belongs to the sessile Barnacle).

This fellow is probably a Reverse Jewel Squid.

Creature Feature #531: Octopus

The Octopus are an Order of Cephalopod, named for their eight limbs. As he has no external or internal skeleton - aside from his bony beak - he is among the most flexible of invertebrates. Octopus are able to escape through very small openings. He is also noted for his intelligence and has been shown to be capable of problem solving as well as having a good memory. He has been known to break out of his aquarium and into another one in search of food (small fish, crustaceans). Large wild octopus have even been known to catch sea birds and attack sharks.

This particular Octopus is Australia's Blue-ringed Octopus. Like many Australian residents, he is deadly.  Most Octopus are venomous to a degree, but the venom of the Blue-ringed can kill a human. It is a neurotoxin, resulting in heart failure, nausea, respiratory attack, paralysis, blindness and sometimes death from asphyxiation. There is currently no anti-venom.

Creature Feature #502: Neon Flying Squid

Yes, this is a real animal.

The Neon Flying Squid is an aerial cephalopod. He enjoys a cosmopolitan distribution, following a cyclical migratory between feeding and breeding grounds. The name comes both from his bright colouring, and also from the membranous webbing between some of his tentacles. When threatened, he is capable of shooting out of the water, spreading his tentacles, and gliding for some distance. He has also been observed actively prolonging his time in the air, thus making this more akin to flight than merely gliding.

Creature Feature #497: Nautilus

The Nautilus are primitive members of the Cephalopod Class. He is characterised by his logarithmic spiral shell and mass of tentacles (up to 90). If threatened, he is able to withdraw entirely into his shell, covering it with a hood. Although his tentacles lack the adhesive pads of his relatives, they are ridged to allow him a firm grip on any prey that might come within grasp. He uses these and his powerful bill to rip crustaceans from the rocks to which they might attach themselves.

Creature Feature #180: Dumbo Octopus

The Dumbo Octopus earns her name from her two ear-like fins, which reminded her discoveries of Disney's flying elephant, Dumbo. She is a deep-sea dweller, living at depths of over 3,000 metres and is thus the deepest diving of any octopus species. She hovers above the ocean floor, searching for invertebrates to scoop up with her barb-covered arms and swallow whole. To move she uses a combination of her fins, her limbs and also by shooting water through her siphon: a funnel that she can use to hold water within her mantle, and then expel it at high speed, thus propelling herself forward.

Creature Feature #147: Cuttlefish

It is the moment you have all been waiting for - with bated breath - it is finally time to conclude the Cs. You thought this day would never come (I confess, I did!) and yet here he finally is:

The Cuddlefish Cuttlefish!

The Cuttlefish is a cephalopod, related to squid and octopi. He is named for his unique internal shell - the cuttle. This provides buoyancy by regulating his gas-to-air ratios. It is also used by jewellers for mould casting, and aviaculturalists - where it is given to parrots to gnaw on as a source of calcium. He can also change colour to blend in with his surroundings although he, himself, is actually colour-blind. Despite this, his vision is very good, and his eyes are fully developed whilst he is still in the egg sac. Male cuttlefish occasionally employ sneaky tactics to mate with the females. The female is guarded by a big, strong male and the smaller male will swim past him, pretending to be a female: he changes his colour, hides his extra pair of legs and even will pretend to be carrying an egg sac. He then mates with the female. The females tend to favour the sperm of these devious, intelligent males.

Other awesome facts about the Cuttlefish:
- He produces ink like a squid - this ink was once used to make the colour known as "sepia".
- When hunting on the ocean bed for his favourite prey of crabs and fish, he squirts water blasts at the sand to expose his intended dinner, then snatches them up with his feeding tentacles.
- Some species produce a toxin that is as powerful as that of the blue-ringed octopus.
- His blood is a greeny-blue colour.
- He has three hearts (like an octopus).
- No body quite knows how a colour-blind creature living in the dark oceanic depths can change his colour to so perfectly match his surroundings.

Cuttlefish are awesome! I will never eat them or feed their internal structures to my parakeets again (don't worry, I don't actually own any birds, or intend to ever again).

And tomorrow, let the Ds begin!