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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 »

Squid Canaries?

Dec 29 2010 | comment(s)

Bummer! A shipment of Uruguayan squid (probably Illex argeninus, the same species of Falkland Islands' fame) has been blocked by the EU due to high cadmium content. Cadmium, like other heavy metals, is bad for you.

As quoted in MercoPress, the head of Uruguay’s Aquatic Resource Office said:

It's not a contamination incident but rather that the produce, when samples were taken before landing, howed levels above those specified as acceptable.

Winningest Use for Squid Jig

Dec 28 2010 | comment(s)

Squid are usually caught by means of a normal fishing line and a special hook-and-lure combination called a jig. Jigs are weighted, glow in the dark, and have several circles of upturned hooks on which the squid's arms and tentacles. Here is a squid jig (and a squid scientist) in normal use:

Here is a much more heartwarming use of the same equipment, to save baby birds from a construction site in Australia.

Daytime Dining On Squid: An Oceanography Lesson

Dec 24 2010 | comment(s)

Blue sharks in the Gulf Stream, in the western Atlantic, probably spend all day eating squid.

At first, that doesn't seem remarkable. Every big predator likes to eat squid, and sharks are no exception. And there are plenty of squid in the Gulf Stream, particularly Illex illecebrosus, which could arguably be referred to as the Humboldt squid of the western Atlantic. Illex illecebrosus and Dosidicus gigas are in the same family of large, muscular oceanic squid--Ommastrephidae--and they exhibit similar daily vertical migrations.

Global Crisis in Cephalopods?

Dec 23 2010 | comment(s)

Fluctuations in the world squid market tells us that

A sharp increase in landings of squid or giant squid (Dosidicus gigas) occurred in Chile in the first 10 months of 2010, over 243 per cent more compared to the same period in 2009 . . . With respect to Argentinian Illex squid (Illex argentinus), if landings during November are confirmed, in the 11 months of 2010 they would have captured 21 per cent more Illex squid than during the same period in 2009. However, the level of catches is far from that of previous years, highlighting the global crisis of cephalopods.

Stained Squid, Part II

Dec 22 2010 | comment(s)

Ahh! Because I was so busy yesterday, I forgot to give you the other half of that baby squid. Here it is!

The little blob being held in those tiny, adorable arms is a yolk sac. When they are inside the egg, squid embryos have both an internal yolk sac (inside the mantle) and an external yolk sac (held in the arms). They are supposed to use up the whole external yolk sac before they hatch--so this little guy hatched prematurely.

Stained Squid, Part I

Dec 21 2010 | comment(s)

Because I am busy, today you get another picture. This is a baby market squid again, this time stained with methylene blue. Tomorrow (because I will still be busy) you will get to see the arms, which are missing in this picture. Suspense!