Comments on: Walking octopuses

Walking octopuses

dov3 — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:06:30 -0800

Camouflaged and Walking octopuses Octopus marginatus and Octopus (Abdopus) aculeatus, that walk along the seafloor using two alternating arms and apparently use the remaining six arms for camouflage.

By: radiosilents

radiosilents — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:17:44 -0800

this is pretty damned amazing to see. i get a little misty every time i think of how much we don't understand about the two-thirds of this planet that are covered by water, and these guys up the amazement-ante considerably... as previously i had not been aware of the UNDERWATER OCTOPUS NINJAS. what do these things eat?

By: bashos_frog

bashos_frog — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:19:26 -0800

cool!

By: hydrophonic

hydrophonic — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:22:48 -0800

It thinks it's people!

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:26:35 -0800

Via Monkeyfilter?

By: quonsar

quonsar — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:27:19 -0800

i can't wait for octopus clubbing season.

By: clevershark

clevershark — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:29:25 -0800

They can open jars as well. And they're delicious, especially when prepared on a hibachi (charcoal-fired BBQ).

By: devbrain

devbrain — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:39:33 -0800

I for one welcome .......... ah, nevermind.

By: gunthersghost

gunthersghost — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:14:52 -0800

This was on the local news last week in San Francisco, they had the video footage and they can really move. Word is, it is a way to get away from predators.

By: Staggering Jack

Staggering Jack — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:19:29 -0800

Speaking of opening jars, octopi supposedly have "minds" (well, nerve bundles) embedded in their arms. The brain sends the command to move (or run about like a coconut) and the information on how to actually carry out the movement is in the nerve cluster in the arm. Cephalopods are cool. And, of course, any thread on this topic should include a cry to save the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.

By: berek

berek — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:23:33 -0800

With but a little bit of work on the posters part this could of gone from lame to good. For example links about the sex habits ofthe creature.

By: pmbuko

pmbuko — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:27:11 -0800

Screw dolphins (no, not that way)... Cephalopods are teh shit!

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 14:46:26 -0800

That is so cool! (I just blew 15 minutes of my employer's time...)

By: themadjuggler

themadjuggler — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:14:13 -0800

Both of the page title and the article title from the first link are awesome: Octopus Afoot and Underwater Bipedal Locomotion by Octopuses in Disguise (the former begs an exclamation point and the latter a Transformers reference)

By: notmydesk

notmydesk — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:21:43 -0800

Vampire bats are making a run for it, too.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:22:00 -0800

Why I Love MetaFilter, volume N: Walking octopus movies.

By: BlackLeotardFront

BlackLeotardFront — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:43:33 -0800

Are we sure these aren't just like handicapped octopies? Maybe it got in a bad accident and broke 6 tentacles. It's a possibility!

By: imaswinger

imaswinger — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:51:46 -0800

I believe someone posted some videos of their amazing colour/texture changing abilities sometime in the past?

By: BT

BT — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 18:50:30 -0800

Are we sure these aren't just like handicapped octopies? The preferred term is, I believe, "differently tentacled."

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 19:12:29 -0800

More info here (via The Octopus News Magazine Online)

By: picea

picea — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 06:03:50 -0800

This makes me happy. Thanks.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 06:44:06 -0800

.... videos of their amazing colour/texture changing abilities sometime in the past? Yup, I think you mean this video of Octopus vulgaris "camera approaching coral with no sign of animal. As the camera gets closer, an O. vulgaris that was camouflaged changes color to white and becomes visible." from the Invisible octopi thread.

By: longbaugh

longbaugh — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 08:05:17 -0800

Damn - invisible stalking octopi (sic?) freak me the hell out. I was reading recently that cephalopod intelligence is certainly the highest amongst all invertebrates and they actually show signs of observational learning which may well mark them as being as intelligent as some mammals.

By: ancientgower

ancientgower — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 09:46:45 -0800

Don't you know the designers at LucasFilms are wishing they had thought of this first?