Blog de Puree

Or is it  octopi?

According to wikipedia, either spelling, or pronunciation, is correct. There’s even a third spelling, also accepted but rarer, octopodes.

According to one of my favorite blogs, Pharyngula, the octopus is a cephalopod, an amazing class of sea creatures. Pharyngula, the blog of PZ Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris,  touches on all things related to “evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations.” Professor Myers is lover of cephalopods and delights his readers with an unusual image of some sort of this species every Friday, in addition to blogging about them every now and then.

There are actually 289 species of octopus and I was reminded how unusually fascinating they are when I saw Deep Sea 3D today. My colleagues (it was a work-sponsored movie and luncheon) and I were mesmerized as the Giant Pacific Octopus moved its way over a coral outcropping and made a tasty treat of some poor unsuspecting crab.

But the best feature of this odd creature is the funnel or siphon. According to universe-review.ca, “Octopuses move by pulling themselves along with their arms or by forcibly expelling water through the funnel or siphon.” This odd tube that sticks out near and under the eye and allows the octopus to steer itself, as well as move up to 25 miles per hour. It reminded me of the British harrier jet, with jet engines that pivot to allow the pilot increased steerability. Now, is it possible that the engineers who designed the harrier had the octopus in mind when they came up with the idea of pivoting engines?

I’ve heard that an octopus can get itself into amazingly tight spaces and I’ve always wondered about the feasibility of keeping one as a pet. At least it would keep the pet cat occupied.

The coolest fish of the movie was this unusual looking fellow, the mola mola. (Picture taken by Garry McCarthy for www.underwater-photos.com) Also known as the ocean sunfish, it’s the largest bony fish in the world. Interestingly, it feeds on jellyfish, among other sea creatures. It’s got to be one of the most unusual fish I’ve set eyes on–indirectly, of course.