Friday, March 6, 2015

Death From Above a Tidal Pool!

I'd intended to do a proper post tonight, but a combination of distraction, exhaustion, and car trouble ganged up to make me scatterbrained and tired. (I have no idea how my dad tolerates his truck shaking as much as it does-I was numb for about half an hour after driving it for a fairly short trip.)

Anyway, here's a video of an octopus popping out of the water and grabbing a crab, because that's something octopodes do.



Sometimes I make a mental tally of all the scary things octopodes can do to other sea life, being smart, flexible, and cunning* compared to everything else in the water, and wonder how everything else is still there.

Then I remember that they're usually small and that there are lots of things that are rather faster than they are.

*Y'know how the blue-ringed octopus is poisonous** enough to threaten humans (actually, it's one of those rare venomous animals that we've never developed a proper antivenom for, apparently)? Apparently, not only do they deliver their venom through bites (or so I must presume from the fact that they can use it on humans), they can also use it from a distance by pumping it with their siphons. I've seen video***. It's disturbing.

**Yes, a "poisonous" animal is one that inflicts a toxin on you through contact or ingestion while a "venomous" animal uses a bite or sting to deliver poison. "Poisonous" is also a generic term for toxicity in general, you don't need to be pedantic.

***Years ago in a classroom, not on the internet, unfortunately.


-Signing off.

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