Ecology & Zoology

So... How Do Squid Fly Exactly?

After yesterday's cliffhanger, I suppose I should explain what it means for a squid to fly. Can they control their aerial trajectory? Can they gain altitude, once airborne, which is the definition of "true" flight? ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Oct 28 2009 - 11:06am

Introducing The Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Speaking of cephalopods which have surprised by not being too heavy to fly after all, I was reminded of one little cuttlefish who is actually too heavy to swim: Metasepia pfefferi, or Pfeffer's Flamboyant Cuttlefish. With the scientist's charming ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Oct 28 2009 - 3:29pm

Baby Sperm Whale Learns to Hunt Giant Squid

You've never seen anything like these photos. No one has. The captivating pictures show adult sperm whales feasting on a rare* giant squid. The coolest part of this story is not that someone saw sperm whales eating a giant squid, but that these adults ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Oct 29 2009 - 11:51am

Last-Minute Costume Ideas, Anyone?

In honor of the impending holiday, the LA Times offers up a selection of thirteen "Nightmares from the animal kingdom". No costumed ghouls, ghosts or goblins that may ring your doorbell this Oct. 31 can compare with the all-too-real, creepy-craw ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Oct 30 2009 - 11:55pm

Octopuses Aren't Polyps Anymore

Yay! " Squid Says: What's For Dinner? " made it into the finalists *. To celebrate, here is one of my all-time favorite cephalopod pix. I know, I know, it's a not a squid! But isn't it the cutest? The picture is by James Wood, who ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 1 2009 - 9:21pm

What Happened To The Falkland Islands Wolf?

Charles Darwin described a canid on the Falkland Islands, off the east coast of Argentina, but it has long been extinct.  Darwin called it Canis antarcticus, placing it in the same genus as the domestic dog, wolf and coyote Since then, biologists have also ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 2 2009 - 12:49pm

Taste of a Poison Paradise

You're toxic, I'm slipping under... The music video for Britney Spears' hit Toxic would have been so much better with truly toxic creatures in starring roles. Can you imagine the pop star serving drinks to newts, dancing with a pufferfish, ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 3 2009 - 10:09pm

Also, Squid Don't Eat Sharks

But you wouldn't know that from reading this article in the Winnipeg Free Press. It's like the definition of irresponsible journalism: repeating rumor as fact, failing to interview experts, and just flat-out making things up. For example, did you ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 5 2009 - 12:12am

Date A Water Strider, Where Nice Guys Get The Girls

Female water striders don't like the bad boys and they don't even have to reach the age of 30 before they wise up about choices in males. Water striders are those insects commonly seen skittering hurriedly across the surface of streams but when i ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 1 2011 - 5:01pm

Glowing Squid Swims Like A Ray

A couple of years ago, Dr. Kubodera, who has a remarkable talent for filming large, unusual squid underwater, got some footage of Taningia danae. This octopoteuthid squid is notable for a) being large, b) lacking tentacles as an adult, d) having big, brig ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 5 2009 - 6:25pm