Meet The Striped Pyjama Squid: Sepioloidea lineolata

Striped pyjama squids (Sepioloidea lineolata) are some of the cutest cephalopods, rarely seen in aquariums. Pyjama squids are part of the Sepiadariida family, which is a group related to squid and cuttlefish. So it seems despite their name, pyjama squids…

Friday Smorgasbord — Thursday Edition: Zombies, vampire squids, HUGE turtles and Google accidentally finds a new seahorse

  With MACNA starting tomorrow, we figured today would be a light day since many of us will be in transit and away from the computer so this is your Friday Smorgasbord one day early. Speaking of MACNA, a recent…

Friday Smorgasbord: Insane in the Chromatophores, Shark bait, lionfish derby results, improving reefs via water, and garbage cleanup off Miami reef

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-OVrI9x8Zs[/youtube] We like squids and we like Cypress Hill. Combine the two and you have this visually stunning and scientifically fascinating video. Cephalopods change their appearance through color-changes cells called chromatophores that are neurologically stimulated via electrical signals in the squid.…

Release the kraken?

For the last week or so, the popular science press has been gushing over the announcement that besides a giant Triassic kraken killing and eating giant ichthyosaurs, it not only arranged their bones after but even arranged their bones in…

Bobtail squids are now the first cephalopods in space

With today’s successful launch and orbit of the Endeavour space shuttle, its precious cargo of earth life include the first cephalopods in space, Space-Squids! Among the usual fare of water bears and extremophile bacteria is a small cohort of bobtail…

Steinhart Aquarium the first to successfully breed dwarf cuttlefish

The California Academy of Sciences’ Steinhart Aquarium recently became the first aquarium in the U.S. to successfully breed Sepia bandensis, more commonly known as dwarf cuttlefish. Pioneered by Academy marine biologist and Reef Builders’ own Rich Ross, the breeding program…

Cephalopods are brought to focus in the newest issue of Reef Life Magazine

The fourth issue of ReefLife focus on my favorites, the Cephalopods. In the issue I discuss the striking Flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia Sp) and some of the pros and cons of even trying to think of keeping these amazing animals. I…