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Octopus

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Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents Fuel World's Largest Octopus Nursery Off California
science1 month ago

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents Fuel World's Largest Octopus Nursery Off California

Researchers have identified the planet's largest known octopus nursery, dubbed the 'Octopus Garden,' located approximately 10,500 feet below the surface off Central California. Situated near the base of the extinct Davidson Seamount, this site hosts an estimated 20,000 pearl octopuses (Muusoctopus robustus). The concentration is driven by hydrothermal vents that warm the water to nearly 11°C, significantly accelerating embryonic development compared to the surrounding cold abyssal waters. This thermal advantage allows eggs to hatch in under two years, reducing mortality risks for the developing embryos.

via The Times of India|
#california#deep-sea#marine-biology
Italy's Failed Blue Crab Cull Sparks a New Octopus Experiment
world-news1 month ago

Italy's Failed Blue Crab Cull Sparks a New Octopus Experiment

Italy has begun exporting invasive blue crabs to Sri Lanka after a failed government eradication program. Fishermen in the Po Delta, whose clam income collapsed, now sell crabs for 1.30 euros per kilogram, a fraction of the 10 euros previously earned for clams. To control the population, scientists recently released 150,000 baby octopuses into the Adriatic Sea, though experts remain skeptical of its effectiveness.

via AP News|
#blue-crab#invasive-species#italy
Italy Deploys 130,000 Octopus Larvae to Combat Blue Crab Invasion
science1 month ago

Italy Deploys 130,000 Octopus Larvae to Combat Blue Crab Invasion

Italian scientists have released 130,000 lab-raised octopus paralarvae into the Adriatic Sea to control a surge in invasive blue crabs. The 'Octo-Blu' project aims to bolster native octopus populations to prey on crabs that have devastated local fisheries and shellfish stocks. While the initiative is a pilot, experts debate its efficacy due to high larval mortality rates and habitat mismatches.

via New York Post|
#adriatic-sea#blue-crab#invasive-species
Octopuses Lead Mixed-Species Hunts by Punishing Lagging Fish Partners
science1 month ago

Octopuses Lead Mixed-Species Hunts by Punishing Lagging Fish Partners

New Red Sea footage shows day octopuses punching lagging fish partners during mixed-species hunts, sometimes with no immediate food payoff. A 2024 study expanding the 2021 report finds the octopus often acts as the group’s decision-maker, inhibiting movement until the timing is right while faster foragers locate prey and slower fish hang back. Researchers discuss possible reasons—from punishment to partner control to spite—and caution that interpretations vary, but the work reveals a structured division of labor rather than random host–predator dynamics.

via Space Daily|
#animal-behavior#cooperative-hunting#mixed-species-groups
Octopuses' Ribosomes Hint at a Convergent Route to Smarter Brains
science3 months ago

Octopuses' Ribosomes Hint at a Convergent Route to Smarter Brains

Researchers propose that octopuses may have boosted their nervous system complexity through a unique H88 break in ribosomal RNA that increases the accuracy of protein synthesis, reducing misfolded proteins in long-lived neurons; experiments even implementing a similar ribosomal change in E. coli support the idea that this tweak enhances protein folding, highlighting a convergent evolutionary path to smarter brains driven by challenging environments.

via Hackaday|
#convergent-evolution#note-only-five-tags-allowed#octopus
Giant beaked octopuses stalked the Cretaceous seas
science3 months ago

Giant beaked octopuses stalked the Cretaceous seas

A 2026 Science study analyzed 27 Late Cretaceous fossil jaws from Japan and Vancouver Island, estimating Nanaimoteuthis haggarti could reach about 7–19 meters (roughly 100–72 million years ago). The findings suggest giant, active, finned octopuses that could hunt hard prey and occupy a top predatory tier in ancient oceans, challenging the view that vertebrates dominated ancient marine ecosystems. Exact full-body size remains uncertain since conclusions are based on jaws rather than complete skeletons.

via Space Daily|
#beaks#cretaceous#nanaimoteuthis
Eight-armed cognition: Octopus intelligence is distributed across its limbs
science3 months ago

Eight-armed cognition: Octopus intelligence is distributed across its limbs

Most of an octopus’s 500 million neurons aren’t in its head: about 40–45 million in the central brain, 120–180 million in the optic lobes, and 300–350 million in the eight arms, making eight semi-autonomous processors that can sense, evaluate, and respond to stimuli within 100 milliseconds without routing signals to the brain, a distributed cognition architecture that challenges vertebrate brain-centric ideas of thinking and consciousness.

via Space Daily|
#cephalopod#consciousness#distributed-cognition
Octopuses Learn to Find Hidden Food Using Mirrors, Hinting at Mental Maps
science4 months ago

Octopuses Learn to Find Hidden Food Using Mirrors, Hinting at Mental Maps

Researchers trained three California two-spot octopuses to use a mirror to locate a crab placed behind them. After about 10–12 training trials, the octopuses learned to approach the real prey instead of its reflection; in testing they chose the correct location 73% of the time, suggesting they understood the mirror’s spatial information rather than just memorizing cues. The findings imply octopuses may have internal spatial maps and point to convergent evolution of cognition in distant relatives.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|
#animal-intelligence#invertebrates#mirror-test
Ancient Kraken-Like Giant Octopus Unearthed in 72-Million-Year-Old Fossils
science4 months ago

Ancient Kraken-Like Giant Octopus Unearthed in 72-Million-Year-Old Fossils

Researchers analyzing oversized fossil jaws from Japan and Canada describe two giant, kraken-like octopuses—Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and N. haggarti—from about 72 million years ago; based on jaw size, N. haggarti may have reached 23–62 feet, potentially the largest known invertebrate, suggesting Cretaceous oceans hosted top predators among invertebrates alongside vertebrates and pointing to a more complex ancient marine ecosystem.

via USA Today|
#cretaceous#invertebrates#nanaimoteuthis
Palm-sized blue octopus crowned a new Galápagos species
science4 months ago

Palm-sized blue octopus crowned a new Galápagos species

Scientists have identified Microeledone galapagensis, a palm-sized blue octopus discovered in the Galápagos in 2015. Using CT scanning to build a 3D model, researchers placed the female in the Megaleledonidae family and noted its close relation to M. mangoldi. Found about 1,773 meters (5,800 feet) below the surface, the species highlights deep-sea biodiversity and high endemism in the Galápagos and underscores how much remains unknown about the deep ocean as climate change reshapes these ecosystems.

via CNN|
#ct-scanning#deep-sea-biodiversity#galapagos
Tiny Blue Galápagos Octopus Earns a New Species Name via 3D CT Scan
science4 months ago

Tiny Blue Galápagos Octopus Earns a New Species Name via 3D CT Scan

A golf-ball-sized blue octopus living in deep waters off Darwin Island in the Galápagos has been formally described as a new species, Microeledone galapagensis, after researchers used nondestructive CT scanning to build a detailed 3D model of its anatomy. The study underscores how much remains unknown about deep-sea life and the value of exploration and conservation.

via WIRED|
#ct-imaging#deep-sea#galapagos-islands
Colossal Cretaceous Kraken? Study hints at 60-foot octopuses in ancient seas
science5 months ago

Colossal Cretaceous Kraken? Study hints at 60-foot octopuses in ancient seas

A Science study using 15 fossil octopus beaks and AI-based size estimates suggests 60-foot octopuses may have been apex predators in the Late Cretaceous (72–100 million years ago), capable of preying on large creatures like sharks and mosasaurs, though some paleontologists call the 60-foot figure extreme and caution that more evidence is needed.

via Yahoo|
#apex-predators#beaks#late-cretaceous