Lots of questions, not a lot of answers. To muddy the waters, or maybe to add more flavors to the stew, we can consider other measures of intellectual aptitude, like the ability to count.
Dogs, monkeys, squid and even salamanders have, to varying degrees, shown the ability to tabulate objects in numerical order.My two favorite words: even salamanders. Hah! I freely admit that I would have expected any normally vertebrate-centric writer to swap the places of squid and salamanders in that sentence. But no, the spineless squid are grouped with dogs and monkey as they-can-count-well-that's-not-too-surprising, while salamanders are relegated to the position of lowest expectations. Take that, salamanders*!
And now for something completely different: the Most Disappointing Newly Syndicated Comic of 2010. Squid Row has been published online for years and has just made it big in the Monterey Herald. BUT THERE ARE NO SQUID IN THE COMIC. Sigh.
On the other hand, here is an awesome collection of cephalopod-themed comic book covers. I like this one because purple is one of the best colors an octopus can be, plus this octopus looks rather bored with its overly-muscled opponent.
Finally, I've been having some thoughts about the Hot Topic of what the next decade will bring in cephalopodiatry, but I wish to consult with collaborators before writing my piece. Sneak preview: the next new squid species will undoubtedly be dubbed the Ginormous Squid!
*I do not actually hate salamanders; I think they are lovely. I was just being snide, in case one of my co-workers who studies salamanders is reading this.
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