Ecology & Zoology

Xenicibis- Ancient Jamaican Bird Used Wings Like Flails

It's not a cartoon, an ancient flightless bird was actually able to use its wings like a flail- or nunchaku, if your perspective is more Asian. Paleontologists have discovered that Xenicibis, a member of the ibis family found only in Jamaica and that ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 4 2011 - 9:59pm

Sadie Hawkins Day- For Butterflies

If you're not from a part of the U.S.A. that read the "Li'l Abner" comics by Al Capp, you may not know Sadie Hawkins Day- but butterflies do.   Sadie Hawkins, as comic strip aficionados know, was 'the homeliest gal in the hills ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 6 2011 - 3:50pm

Some Ammonites Ate Plankton

Very cool new research on feeding in ancient ammonites! (Thanks to R. Olley for the link.) Ammonites, though not the direct ancestors of modern-day cephalopods, are their ancient cousins--and they were the most successful cephalopods of all time, in terms ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Jan 9 2011 - 6:45pm

Baby Squid Vs. Baby Whale

So I guess squid are doing really well this year. It's estimated that around-the-world squid in mass outweighs the human population.... Along the coast of California, the squid season has been abundant... Certain squid are booming thanks to a slight ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Jan 12 2011 - 6:54pm

Fishing for Future Generations

I know, I know, I won't shut up about squid fishing. But the Salinas Californian has a neat human-interest article about the closure of the market squid fishery, bringing the message home to Homo sapiens: T hird-generation Monterey fishermen Frank Min ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jan 14 2011 - 4:48pm

If You're In Naples In April...

Then you really should consider attending Euroceph, a new meeting this year with the tagline: Cephalopod Biology Research in the 21st Century- A European Perspective. We would like to remind all of you that the meeting is aimed to review current cephalopod ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Jan 16 2011 - 12:58am

Ammonite Poetry

Cephalopod Tea Party is having a cephalopod pin give-away. To be entered in the drawing you must write a cephalopod-themed haiku! Although I probably have more than enough cephalopod tchotchkes, I couldn't resist the writing challenge. Last year I wro ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jan 18 2011 - 12:19am

Brand New Unaffiliated Squid

Treehugger did an interview this week with deep-sea biologist Edith Widder. She's done some very cool research by creating devices to imitate deep-sea animals, in order to attract other deep-sea animals. The lure is just 16 blue lights embedded around ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jan 21 2011 - 12:25pm

This Seems Weird

Has anyone else heard of a " massive 20ft. octopus" washing ashore in the Bahamas last week? I hadn't until this article, which also comments on a recent octopus stranding in Portugal (presumably the individual octopuses in this case are of ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jan 25 2011 - 11:58pm

This Isn't Your Bathmat

Boingboing science editor Maggie Koerth-Baker says everyone loves cephalopods because they are AWESOME. I agree 100%. ...

Blog Post - Danna Staaf - Jan 28 2011 - 3:36pm