Ecology & Zoology

Cephalopod Collectives

Today's Ecoview column in the Tuscaloosa News addresses this question: Q: Can you tell me what a group of squid is called? A squad? A school? I’ve tried to look it up, but I haven’t seen anything definite that says, “A group of squid is called... ” I ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Nov 29 2009 - 11:47pm

Briny With A Rich Seafood Essence

My google news alert for "squid" frequently pops up recipes and restaurant reviews, most of which I dismiss out of hand. But a critical mass of alerts mentioning squid ink pasta, risotto, and other dishes finally drove me to a more thorough inves ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Dec 2 2009 - 11:20pm

Does Anything Else Squirt Ink?

This seems like something obvious that I should really know, but I worry that I'm forgetting something. Squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish all squirt ink. (Nautilus, the throwback cephalopod, does not.) The sea hare, a particularly large instantiation ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Dec 3 2009 - 11:28pm

Kiwi Squid*

Hey, I'm in New Zealand, home of the colossal squid! I believe--oh yes, Scientific Blogging has seen mention of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltonii before. Suffice it to say here that M. hamiltonii, the colossal squid, is the largest squid in the world discov ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Dec 8 2009 - 7:57pm

Coconut Octopuses: Over-hyped Celebrities or Science Emissaries?

Thanks to the zillions of friendly people who sent me links to the coconut octopus story, I can share accounts from slashdot, treehugger, new scientist, the AP, and of course, the BBC. ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Dec 16 2009 - 1:02am

Why (And How) Some Daisies Got Their Spots

Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on some flowers such as lilies, orchids, and considerable research has been done on the physiological and behavioral mechanisms for how these spots attract pollinators, ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 6:59pm

Squid Invasion: Outside The Realm Of Normal!

I think this may be the best pop-sci treatment of the jumbo squid invasion that I've seen yet. Go, Christian Science Monitor! For example, most invasion articles don't take the time to explain the nuanced history of the squid's presence in C ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Dec 22 2009 - 12:26am

Duck Sex Is Even More Screwed Up Than Human Sex

Female ducks can thank evolution for avoiding becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males.  That's right, males are literall ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 23 2009 - 1:25am

December Squid Review

Despite spending this holiday season at home, where the sun is shining, the grass is green, and the orange and palm trees sway, I've been metaphorically snowed under. Between wrestling a paper into submission (that was a pun! submission, like to a jou ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Dec 28 2009 - 8:40pm

The Cold War's Ecological Benefits

When people think of the Cold War they tend to dwell on all the negatives that came with it: totalitarian governments, proxy wars, a nuclear arms race, and so on. But looking back on the period, the authors of a new paper in the journal Biological Conserva ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 8 2010 - 12:58pm