Blue Heron Bridge Trolls

[Splitlip]

Jim is right - tons of octopi in April-May. Not unusual to see a dozen or more on any given dive. I scrolled through all my photos from the past year and it seems I have a lot of really nice ones (for me) from April-May-June.

ummm..only "octopi" when you're eating them (Molto Mario). Octopuses when you swim with them. IJS.

 

[jet126]

Like that tide table Jet...I may even forgive you not doing the night dive.
May being the operative word here.

You really want me being flag-silly in the dark??? Seriously, sorry I can't make it ... you two J's have fun and try not to bump into any manatee(s?)! I'll be up again Monday morning ...

ummm..only "octopi" when you're eating them (Molto Mario). Octopuses when you swim with them. IJS.

To-MAY-toe, to-MAH-toe. IJS I was guiding some out-of-towners last May. After the dive I said "bet you never thought you'd say oh just another octopus!"

 

[mntlblok]

ummm..only "octopi" when you're eating them (Molto Mario). Octopuses when you swim with them. IJS.

The plural of "octopus" is finally clarified. [VIDEO] Hadn't realized that the accent was on the antepenult, nor only with a British accent, for "octopodes".

Kevin

 

[Biminitwist]

If you have the Humann/Deloach book, Reef Fish ID; it speaks about the "pale undercolor" ranging from white to yellow.

Yup. That's my ID bible.
The photo looks nothing like the eel pictured and "pale undercolor" really fails to describe the bright yellow under just the jaw and snout. Maybe it's a juvenile phase but looks nothing like the cardinal markers in the ID book.
Thanks. John

 

[Splitlip]

The plural of "octopus" is finally clarified. [VIDEO] Hadn't realized that the accent was on the antepenult, nor only with a British accent, for "octopodes".

Kevin

I always learn something with this crew. Thanks Kevin. Another piece of knowledge that likely will not help me in any way. (ya know I can juggle) lol

 

[bilsant]

I always learn something with this crew. Thanks Kevin. Another piece of knowledge that likely will not help me in any way. (ya know I can juggle) lol

Candidly, I get as excited as a little kid when I see more than one of them, so "octopi" doesn't offend me.

OK, if we take it a step further and use a collective noun as is done with other animals (a murder of crows, a skulk of foxes, an exultation of larks, etc.), what would we call a group of octopodes? A sucker? A wrestle? Hmmmmm....neither seems quite the right thing.

I open the floor to suggestions...

 

[Insta-Gator]

How about we call a group of Octopus an Occupy.

An Occupy of Octopodes.

 

[scubajim 1]

How about we call a group of Octopus an Occupy.

An Occupy of Octopodes.

An Army of Arms?...a Legion of Legs?....

 

[mntlblok]

Candidly, I get as excited as a little kid when I see more than one of them, so "octopi" doesn't offend me.

OK, if we take it a step further and use a collective noun as is done with other animals (a murder of crows, a skulk of foxes, an exultation of larks, etc.), what would we call a group of octopodes? A sucker? A wrestle? Hmmmmm....neither seems quite the right thing.

I open the floor to suggestions...

Group Names: Introduction to Venereal and Other Group Terms - Word Information and Order Octopoda - The Cephalopod Page

From the second site:

{The life span of octopuses is short, varying from six months in small species to three years in larger ones (Boyle 1987). In laboratory studies of Octopus briareus, life spans ranged from ten to seventeen months. Boyle (1983) states that 'In the vast majority of natural deaths in the laboratory, both males and females have undergone a 2 to 4 week period of deterioration during which feeding was sporadic and the skin, arms and internal organs degenerated.' Boyle (1983) goes on to say, 'In most males, this deterioration occurred at varying periods after mating and growth to a larger size, and in females it occurred after egg laying and brooding.' It is believed that the hormone that regulates sexual maturation is also associated with natural death (Boyle 1983).

Another engaging aspect of octopuses is their reproduction. Boyle (1987) notes that 'It is generally thought that cephalopods are fast growing animals that reproduce once and then die.' In Octopus briareus, an impregnated female can store viable spermatophore for as long as one hundred days after fertilization (Boyle 1983). The eggs are generally laid in a protected lair and fanatically guarded by the female. She usually eats very little or not at all during this period and dies shortly after the eggs hatch. I have observed that even unfertilized females lay eggs, brood, and then die.}

OK. I've done only one "octopus-life-cycle" worth of diving at the bridge to date. Early last year I couldn't find even *one* of those rascals. I then started spotting "parts" of them in bottles, and finally started seeing them *everywhere* once they grew too large to fit into the bottles. I haven't been to the bridge in a couple of months now, and I'm wondering about their size these days *and* when the adults will have died off, as it seems that, per above, they don't last very long.

I hate to say it, but I'm afraid I've become inured, to some degree, to finding these cute critters. Maybe I should learn more about attempting to interact with them - or is that a no-no?

Kevin

 

[Insta-Gator]

I would think that any human interaction with sea life, beyond observation, would only add to their stress and probably be detrimental.