Cephalopodafiles unite!

Although the best puss is indeed octopuss, our world's inhabitants seem unable to appreciate that there is more to these creatures than tentacle hentai. Cephalopods are a genuinely fascinating species and there are many more aspects to them, all of which you can masturbate to.​

The octopus belongs to the molluscs (invertebrates with soft unsegmented skin), which in turn belong in the Cephalopoda class. We also find the octopus, sea cats, ammonites and nautiluses in return. All animals in this class have a remarkable ink bag as a defense weapon. The octopus usually travels by crawling over the seabed with the help of his arms, but in times of need he can use his siphon. That is a kind of pump system that allows him to suck water in his mantle, after which he can expel this with great power and thus accelerate it. It's like a small water-powered engine. The octopus is with his classmates; the squid and sea cats, the intelligent of all invertebrates. This way he can solve quite complex problems without too much effort. Navigating a maze or entering a bottle with a stop is no problem for these animals. They feed mainly with smaller animals, mainly crabs, shrimps, lobsters, molluscs, though you also have some species specializing in fishing and others ... It is also known that they occasionally cannibalize their peers but usually there is a root cause such as territorial drift. The octopus occurs in all worlds and oceans but can also have a short time on the dry life, as long as their gills are moist. mainly crabs, shrimps, lobsters, molluscs already have a number of species specializing in fishing and others ... It is also known that they can occasionally cannibalize their peers but usually there is a root cause such as territorial drift . The octopus occurs in all worlds and oceans but can also have a short time on the dry life, as long as their gills are moist. mainly crabs, shrimps, lobsters, molluscs already have a number of species specializing in fishing and others ... It is also known that they can occasionally cannibalize their peers but usually there is a root cause such as territorial drift . The octopus occurs in all worlds and oceans but can also have a short time on the dry life, as long as their gills are moist.

So far so good right? Best pretty weird beasts but nothing too outrageous ... WRONG! This is the vanilla stuff. Enough of it!

Of the more than 300 different species, the earmark or common octopus is the best known species. Now, the "ordinary" is, of course, the vulgar octopus ( Octopus vulgaris ). If this is the usual one that acts as poster boy for the whole kind, it's immediately a sign that the unusual might be quite eccentric ...

(Ice cream larvae)​

The average cephalopod lives approximately 6 months while the larger ones can become 3 years old. They follow the law that counts for almost all animals; the bigger they are, the older ... And some species can great be. The smallest known is the Idiosepius thailandicus (mmmm thailand[​IMG]), once grown, it measures a length of only one centimeter. Service children weigh the moment they leave their egg only 0.00033 grams. What a difference with the mastodons like the giant and colossal squid that can be more than 15 meters long and weigh a half a ton. Researching those giants is difficult because they live 1) at a deeper depth, 2) can hide well and 3) have no understanding of people. Because of this, it's not exactly known how old those rulers of the depths can be precise.

For most cephalopods, the propagation also comes to death immediately. Most things do not live so long, but at the level of the species it has such advantages. The shorter the life of one kind, the faster the new generations follow each other, the faster the evolution can work, which will quickly follow and continue environmental changes and random mutations within the species. Since the Cephalopoda class already existed before the first "dinosaur" ever made a foot, you can imagine that this class has already had a lot of generations. Evolution went its way and delivered a true praise copy.

Ever thought about how octopuses make children? There are only a handful of animals on this planet that make it even stranger. The male octopus has a special arm, also called the hectocotylus, with which he literally replenishes his female. The females receive the spermatofores (bags filled with sperm) in their excessively damp cavity that hide most of the time under their mantle. They only show their cavity when they live in good company and only then they will spread them.

(in some species like this Blanket octopus the difference between the hectocotylus and the common arms is much clearer.)​

The hectocotylus, say the octopus' his penis arm, usually the third right arm, is equipped with a spoon depression and adjusted suction cups. This penis arm breaks down during body copulation.[​IMG] Previously, biologists, who found this arm in the female's cavity, thought that it was a parasitic worm. This worm was classified under the name of hectocotylus, which is now the name of the copulation arm ... The vulgar octopus is so common that its paw is confused with a parasitic worm. Write that down boys & girls, it's gonna be on the exam. It's very shameful that she did not change the name afterwards. Imagine that the males of our kind (I think myself just under the human) would also forget that he would forget his penis in female lover's ass. Maybe we all played daily with our ribbon worm. Be aware that biologists are more likely to break unintentional feelings than to put their own mistake straight.

In 2010 it was stated that the Onykia has the largest penis arm. The biologist responsible for that observation was very lucky because when erect there occurs a truly phenomenal extension. The Ingens's penis arm becomes as long as that head, cloak and arms together. The length of his penis arm is then, relative to his body size, the largest of the entire animal kingdom. * hate tips

(A female giant pacific octopus watches over the 1000s eiren hanging from the ceiling of her cavity.)​

Where males die a few months after copulation and thus forced to go through their remaining days without a penis arm, the females keep it a little longer after the act. In some species, the females keep the sperm for several weeks in the body until the eggs are ripened. After fertilization, the female puts about 200,000 eggs.[​IMG]The eggs hang in bunches from the ceiling of the cave. The cave in which she lives does not understand, not her own cave. The female monitors the eggs against predators and blows regular water to provide oxygen. In some species it takes more than 10 months before the eggs come out and during that period the octopus females will not eat. Once the eggs come out, the female dies too. The baby octopuses float for some time in clouds plankton, living from the larvae of crabs and starfishs, until they sink back to the bottom of the sea.

Since we still had the octopus penis, it's interesting to know that the only hard part in his body is his horny mouth. The two-part beak, known in the literature as the rostrum, resembles that of a parrot. This beak is sometimes used to blow the female gently, although some species may work hard with it and encourage the female in a rather aggressive way to open her cavity for them. Having said that, the main purpose of his mouth is of course to edit and often destroy everything he gets in poor. The two halves of the beak work together like a kind of scissors and are anchored in a firm muscle mass which allows him to put some strength.

(An octopus' radula takes action.)​

As if its 8 arms were not enough, the octopus also blocked another radula or a tentacular club in its mouth. That radula is a nailed tongue-like organ that consists largely of, I shit you not, chitin. Chitin is, after cellulose, the most common polymer on earth. You can also find it in the exoskelet of shrimps, lobsters and crabs.

It may surprise you but octopuses do not have tentacles but arms. Arms are relatively short and have suction buttons over their full length while tentacles are much longer and have only suction cups at their ends. In addition, the tip of a tentacle is often equipped with specialized structures such as hooks, big suction pads, clubs, ... Of the cephalopods, it is the squid that has the most powerful tentacles. Where octopuses have to put "only" 8 arms, octopuses and sea cats also have at least two tentacles in addition to their 8 arms.

Where a muscle pulls a bone to get it in motion, this is just something else with an invertebrate cephalopod. Their arms and tentacles work as muscular hydrostates that contain a central nerve, longitudinal, transverse and circular muscles. They are thus completely deformable, enabling them to hide themselves in the smallest corners and holes. As long as its mouth is through it, the whole octopus can go through it.

The octacles of octopus, on the other hand, are often equipped with rows of teeth in all sizes and shapes. For example, each suction cup of the giant squid is equipped with a mouthful of sharp teeth while the tentacles of the colossal squid are provided with 2 rows of moving three-pointed hooks.

(The tentacle of a giant squid.)​

That the octopus leaves his penis arm once in a female we already knew, but in times of need, the octopus can let go of any arm if it is necessary. The octopus, however, is not an amputation fetishist but does this to mislead his attacker. A thrown arm behaves like an individual organism and can survive for hours on its own. It is therefore not surprising that some attackers concentrate completely on the arm that is thrown away. Often they have a good meal and are not wise that the owner has escaped. Octopuses in the wild are therefore often spotted with damaged or missing arms. No problem because every octopus can regenerate such a whole arm in a short while.

​
The octopus suction cups not only allow him to scale the smoothest walls vertically, they are also equipped with chemoreceptors, as you can also find them on our tongue. He tastes what he touches. If he feels something nice, he brings it to his mouth where he injects with paralyzing saliva. In more difficult-to-process animals such as hard-shelled many types drill a hole that spills them with nerve poison after penetration. The vulgar octopus takes about 3 hours to drill a hole with half a centimeter depth. The octopus's saliva is so toxic that it also helps to pre-digest and degrade calcium carbonate scales in addition to paralyzing and easing the prey.

Oh yes, in a sense, an octopus 9 has a brainer. The cephalopods, in proportion to their bodies, have one of the largest brain on earth. The central brain is in the form of a donut and is strongly linked to 8 other neural masses located at the base of each arm. Two thirds of the nerve cells are not in the brain, but in the vangarmen. It is the poor brain that, in conjunction with the central nervous nerve, almost instinctively decides on where and how the arm should properly twist. Where we are limited in our freedom through our joints, the octopus can stretch its arms, shrink, bend at any place in any direction or keep them tight. The actual movement is generated through cells filled with water and so on as they become under pressure. This rigid core is then reinforced with muscle fiber, whereupon other muscles that are currently in charge of the movement can pull on. This all happens in milliseconds, which causes the octopus to "wrap". The roots of the arm brain branch across the arm, causing the octopus a series of built-in reflexes (think hammer tick on your knee) giving him an unprecedented reaction rate.

Octopoda have a short and long term memory. For example, some species think when they, for example, barricade their cave with stones when they go to sleep. Animal experiments in aquariums have shown that the octopus is capable of distinguishing all sorts of patterns and shapes. Over time, they even learn to recognize people they often come into contact with. For example, they spray with water or change them to a particular color pattern only when a particular known person approaches them.

Labyrinth trials have shown that the octopus is quick and good. In addition, "playing behavior" is sometimes shown as evidenced by the research and manipulation of objects and toys in aquariums. For example, in Seatle they have an octopus that throws a bottle several times a day. A hobby so. Many also seem to be fascinated by flow and throw objects repeatedly, and then reassure them just afterwards to throw them back.

In addition, the cephalopods are also one of the few animal species that use tools. They use sticks to brush in holes, sharp objects to break scales, and even lend scales that they swallow to crawl for protection when they are threatened. Many researchers can tell you that with their inventiveness they can seriously bother themselves. They randomly remove filters, sabotage valves, get rid of expensive lab equipment, escape to inhabit the inhabitants of nearby tanks, ... Many researchers even claim that each octopus has its own personality.

Another fun fact; Squid use a giant axon to accelerate their escape response. Axons are nerve fibers responsible for the connection between neurons and octopuses have one with a diameter of 1.5 mm, the largest one ever measured, about 1000 times thicker than the axons in our brain, and remarkable enough so visible to the mere eye. This giant axon is in direct connection with their water jet generating sipho and, by its width, the action potential in the neuron travels much faster through the neuron. In addition, they also have the record for the largest synapse, the chemical link between axon and neuron. This allows for simultaneous contracting of the jacket which generates even more propulsive force.

https://i.imgur.com/nJoujNQ.jpg

Cephalopods seem to be a record holder in just about every discipline and it's no different for their eyes. The giant and colossal squid has the biggest eyes of all still living animals. The biggest eye to date was documented with a diameter of 35 cm. Their eyes may look similar to ours but it is an example of convergence. They have been created differently and work differently. Most cephalopods can not see color, but the polarization of light. On their retina they have two spots with concentrated sensor cells, one that looks more forward and the other looks more backward. They change focus by changing the position of all their lens relative to their retina instead of deforming their lens as we do.

In ancient Greece, Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) already fascinated about their amazing ability to change color. This occurs via pigment-containing cells in the epidermis, the so-called chromatophores. Their skin is a truly incredibly handsome piece of biological engineering. For example, they can change color much faster than the so-called king of camouflage, the chameleon. Many cephalopods can process the entire visible spectrum in their camouflage and display this with a refresh rate faster than view tv. In addition to the regulation of their colors and patterns, they even have special cells that adjust their reflectivity and light intensity.

In addition, they can physically manipulate their superior skin layer. This gives them some sort of bump mapping. Pumping water into their cells allows them to swell individual parts that can change their body surface in spines, bumps, hairs. Even the uneven structure of rocks can imitate them. Some species are so adept in that they can actually disappear in their surroundings and become virtually invisible.

Different types of cephalopod use not only their camouflage to hide but also to communicate. Some squid use up to 75 chromatic, 7 textural, 14 posture and 7 locomotive signals purely to signal their intentions. The Caribbean coral squid feels that they have their own language with at least 35 words.

One of the more dynamic patterns that they use mostly during the hunt is one that rolls dark tires like waves at high speed across their entire body. Researchers baptized into the "matching cloud pattern" appear to communicate many animals "stop watching me" because it seems to be hypnotic.

Also while pairing, they make frequent use of their color changing possibilities. For example, males can control both sides of their bodies individually, and they will impress women on one side while trying to deter potential competition by the other side. Smaller squidfishes who have no confrontations with larger males can use their camouflage again in a dull way. They will disguise themselves as a female by changing color and hiding their extra arms and even imitating an egg bag.

Since cephalopods can detect the polarization of light, it may not be surprising that they also have control over the polarization of the light that cuts them out. Some researchers speculate that they are privately communicating privately by polarization as many of their predators can not detect polarization.

Also, remarkable is that some cephalopods can take over the behavior of other animals and inspect them by adjusting their attitude to it. The imitation of other animals is more common in nature, but the mimic octopus is king because it has already been observed in countless disguises. Is it a flatfish? A sea hose? a lionfish? a crab? seaweed? an eel? a starfish or anemone? Nope, it's the mimic octopus. He changes costume depending on which predator he wants to deter or what prey he wants to attract.

How does the entire camouflage system work right now? Well, that's an active area of research and quite complex but incredibly interesting!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The chromatophores are a sac containing hundreds of thousands of pigment granules and a large membrane that is folded when retracted. There are hundreds of muscles radiating from the chromatophore. These are under neural control and when they expand, they reveal the hue of the pigment contained in the sac. Cuttlefish have three types of chromatophore: yellow/orange (the uppermost layer), red, and brown/black (the deepest layer). The cuttlefish can control the contraction and relaxation of the muscles around individual chromatophores, thereby opening or closing the elastic sacs and allowing different levels of pigment to be exposed. Furthermore, the chromatophores contain luminescent protein nanostructures; there are tethered pigment granules which modify light through absorbance, reflection, and fluorescence between 650 and 720 nm.

In cuttlefish, activation of a chromatophore can expand its surface area by 500%. There may be up to 200 chromatophores per mm2 of skin. In Loligo plei, an expanded chromatophore may be up to 1.5 mm in diameter, but when retracted, it can measure as little as 0.1mm.

Retracting the chromatophores reveals the iridophores and leucophores beneath them, thereby allowing cuttlefish to use another modality of visual signalling brought about by structural coloration.

Iridophores are structures that produce iridescent colors with a metallic sheen. They reflect light using plates of crystalline chemochromes made from guanine. When illuminated, they reflect iridescent colors because of the diffraction of light within the stacked plates. Orientation of the schemochrome determines the nature of the color observed. By using biochromes as colored filters, iridophores create an optical effect known as Tyndall or Rayleigh scattering, producing bright blue or blue-green colors.

https://www.nature.com/scitable/topi...-the-144048968

The octopus has 3 hearts to ensure that enough of its oxygen rich blue-colored blood has reached 9 brains. His system heart pumps blood through his entire body, his 2 branched hearts are pumping blood through his gills to increase his oxygen uptake. Oxygen transport is regulated in octopus blood by the copper-rich hemocyanin protein. This protein makes the blood very viscous (poisonous), which makes it more difficult to pump but in low-oxygen cold conditions, haemocyanin is more efficient than the iron-rich hemoglobin protein we use. Remarkably, haemocyanin is dissolved in plasma instead of being worn by red blood cells as well as blood staining blue instead of red.

(Also, crab cranes use hemocyanin for their oxygen transport.)​

The octopus's heart rate remains quite constant, even under exertion, but this he compensates for by increasing the pumped volume per heart rate. In addition, in his gills, he has receptors that allow him to adjust the amount of oxygen that he absorbs from the surrounding water, allowing him to keep his uptake even.

Breathing itself occurs by dragging water into the mantle and passing through the gills. The oxygen-poor, carbon-rich water is injected back into the environment via the sifo. However, at rest, more than 40% of the oxygen required is absorbed through the skin. This drops to 30% when he swims because more water flows through the gills.

Cephalopods use two different ink strategies. The most common is the ordinary cloud discharge that acts as a smoke curtain, but some also eject pseudomorphs, a number of smaller discharges that remain due to a higher concentration of natural mucus and take about the same shape and size as their maker. Such discharge often accompanies an immediate change of color and sipo squirt, after which many predators rush on one of the pseudomorphs while squiddie is already a mile away.

In addition, many cephalopod predators, such as morays, use advanced chemosensory systems to detect their prey. However, preliminary testing shows that the ink also contains ingredients that can irritate, desensitize or even fill lambs, suggesting that the ink is much more than a simple smoke curtain.

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If only you had been around during the "octo-squid overlords" heyday of the Org! Good stuff.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

Let us pray his dreams go undisturbed.

"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity. It was not meant that we should voyage far."

Originally Posted by drone

...Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

I have always found that line chilling...

Dreaming of what? [shudders]

Quick! Call Ned Land!

Seriously, though, I have always found the squid the most fascinating of the cephalopods. I also love watching how octopi squeeze themselves out of small spaces.

Originally Posted by FringeMantra

Beautiful. Deep-sea creatures are so fascinating.

I have soft spots for the Humboldt Squid, nice juicy soft spots as these things will eat me. These things are truly a nightmare, do not fall in the water when they are around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuyTgdLmliE

I approve of this thread

@Andres

Just look at its mouth'olé. Look at it!


If that reminds you of the gaping maws of hell you'd be right on the money!

This nightmare of the deep goes under the appropriate name of Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally "vampire squid from Hell".

Source video @ youtube

It looks scary until you watch the video and hear that it basically eats tiny leftovers and poop and can't use a lot of energy because then it would run out of oxygen.
And then the arms look more plushy than dangerous, which makes sense if it doesn't really hunt anything.

Interesting topic though.

The first invasion of Wales by octopuses goes horribly wrong:

Octopuses 'walking out of the sea' on the Welsh coast

8 legs good, 2 legs bad.

It may not be time to get worried, but then again...
Apparently the octopus is not only intelligent but can be quite social. A society of underwater, intelligent creatures whose designs on this planet may well be not to our benefit!?
Mwuhahaha!:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/oc...cial-1.4380343

Okay, they seem pretty laid back about the whole invasion thing, but you never know...