Cuttlefish Magic

SUBHEAD:  Today, specifically, is Squid/Cuttlefish Day, dedicated to honoring the tentacled members of the cephalopod family.

By Maggie Koerth-Baker on 10 October 2012 for Boing Boing -
(http://boingboing.net/2012/10/10/celebrate-cephalopod-awareness.html)


Image above: A common cuttlefish at the Tennessee Aquarium. From (http://www.tnaqua.org/OurAnimals/Invertebrates/Cuttlefish.aspx).

This October 8-12 are Cephalopod Awareness Days. I was just made aware of that fact. Yeah, awareness!

Today, specifically, is Squid/Cuttlefish Day, dedicated to honoring the tentacled members of the cephalopod family.

To celebrate this auspicious occasion, here is a video about cuttlefish and their amazing color-changing skills. Other members of the cephalopod family can also change color, but cuttlefish are famous for their ability to produce moving patterns on their own skin.

Please, no jokes about "the cuttle bone". It's too obvious.

More information on Cephalopod Awareness Days


Video above: Cuttle fish changing colors to order. From (http://youtu.be/__XA6B41SQQ).

• Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy.
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