FAQ | Register Now | Sign In

Subscribe to the newsletter

[x]

Stay in touch with the scientific world!

Vampire Squid And The Evolution Of Cephalopod Sex

Everyone loves vampire squid, right? Their monstrous name belies their gentle nature as graceful...

Learning Science From Fiction: A Review Of Ryan Lockwood’s “Below”

In last month’s review of Preparing the Ghost, I mentioned that you can actually learn facts...

Usurped By Legend: A Review Of Matthew Gavin Frank’s ‘Preparing The Ghost’

When you read something in a book, do you believe it? You might say, “Of course not if it’s...

Squid Lady Parts

This Bobtail squid was imaged by the Deep Discover ROV in Atlantis Canyon, is less than one foot...

Danna Staaf

Cephalopods have been rocking my world since I was in grade school. I pursued them through a BA in marine biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, followed by a PhD dissertation at... Read More »

Can Loud Noises Really Kill Squid?

Apr 17 2011 | comment(s)

Hot new squid research has the world of cephalopod reporting all abuzz! The press release came out last Monday, so I'm a bit late to the game, but hey, that means I get to meta-report on the way everyone else reported it.

Sharks Nom Ammonites

Apr 15 2011 | comment(s)

Earlier this year, paleontologists gave us a glimpse into the diets of ammonites, those ancient cousins to squid. I had always thought of ammonites as aggressive predators, so I was charmed to learn that some ammonites, at least, were gentle planktivores.

Now, brand new research casts ammonites in an even more sympathetic light--those poor things used to get chewed up by sharks! A surprisingly slender, point shark tooth was found embedded in the shell of a fossilized ammonite. The Economist reports:

That a shark with teeth like this would try to make a meal of an

Commercial Research Steps Into Squid Science Vaccum

Apr 11 2011 | comment(s)

Okay, I know I won't shut up about the Argentine shortfin squid, but the situation is just so weird and complicated, and there's always new news for me to puzzle over.

We make a lot of people a lot of money. Biologically we are a big question mark.

Here's the latest:

They Should Have Put It In A Smaller Jar

Apr 07 2011 | comment(s)

This week's "Smithsonian Snapshot" is a giant squid eye from their collection, not currently on display at the museum, i.e. ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE:

But they TOTALLY should have put it in a smaller jar, 'cause, like, it just doesn't look that big.

Background cephalopod trivia time! Can you identify:

A) the brown&white striped object visible behind the eye through the jar?
B) the objects in the jar at the far right of the photograph?
C) the squid in the jar peeking out from behind the eye jar?

Squid Jiggin' Music

Apr 05 2011 | comment(s)

I've just come across a fabulous tune from Newfoundland that captures perfectly the chaos of jigging (fishing with special lures) for squid:

Holy smoke! What a scuffle! All hands are excited.
'Tis a wonder to me that there's nobody drowned.
There's confusion, a bustle, a wonderful hustle,
They're all jiggin' squids on the squid-jiggin' ground.

There Are More Than One Species Of Squid

Apr 04 2011 | comment(s)

Fisherfolk can be tremendous founts of information about marine animals. They know where to find different species, what sort of baits they like best, what sizes to expect, and how all these things change with the seasons. Smart marine biologists spend a lot of time talking with fishers and learning from them.

That said, fishers can sometimes draw rather curious conclusions from what they observe. Here's an excerpt from a recent article by well-known angler and fishing writer Charley Soares: