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The ocean is a strange place after dark
- giarc 9y agoHere's another story/fact that should be included. There's a species of octopi that live in groups. On nights with bright moon, predators can identify them because they cast a shadow. They have evolved an organ to intake particular bacteria that use what's called quorum sensing to detect when there's enough of them around. When the organ is full of these bacteria, the bacteria glow and therefore stop the shadow of the octopi. It's a great example of symbiosis, more specifically mutualism of two species. The octopi get saved and the bacteria get a safe place to live.
- nischalsamji 9y agoit's called the glowing squid.
- kmonad 9y agoThe squid symbiosis is mentioned in the article. Oh and btw, it's octopuses or octopodes (greek not latin, fyi).
- PeCaN 9y agoActually it's English, where octopi is a perfectly acceptable and widely-understood plural.
- smnrchrds 9y agoMerriam-Webster dictionary disagrees: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octopus https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octopus
- colechristensen 9y agoWhat's popular isn't always correct and dictionaries by definition reflect usage. That is unless it doesn't literally kill you that literally now actually means figuratively too.
- dragonwriter 9y ago“Literally” doesn't actually mean figuratively, even in use; it's used (figuratively itself) as an intensifier applied to some other figurative expression. This actually has the opposite effect to “figuratively”, which by explicitly stating that a use is figurative acts as a qualifier, rather than an intensifier, of the figurative expression it modifies.
- gnaritas 9y ago> What's popular isn't always correct and dictionaries by definition reflect usage. What's popular is correct by definition, that's why dictionaries reflect usage, they don't prescribe it. Language is about communication, not syntax, people do use "literally" when they mean figuratively and you know it, I know it, so they are communicating, the word has obtained new meaning. Words are not static things.
- njarboe 9y agoSome cultures put more emphasis on the top down approach than others. France[1] tends to be more into top down control of its language than the English. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_de_l%27Acad%C3%A9mie_fran%C3%A7aise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_de_l%27Acad%C3%A9...
- burkaman 9y agoWhat's the point of being "correct" if nobody understands you?
- bunderbunder 9y agoI was walking across campus with a friend and we came upon half a dozen theoretical linguists committing unprovoked physical assault on a defenseless prescriptivist. My friend was shocked. She said: "Aren't you going to help?" I said, "No; six should be enough." (copypasted from http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002938.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002938.h...)
- chrisbennet 9y agoAdam Ruins Everything had a episode that covered this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu5XDrdD7KM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu5XDrdD7KM In short: The dictionary isn't the "law", it lags behind the language as it is actually used. Once the "reverse" definition of "literally" became common in usage it became the new definition - not what a dictionary used to define it as.
- ystvn 9y agoOxford Dictionary disagrees with Merriam-Webster: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/octopus https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/octopus
- contingo 9y agoThis whole discussion is somewhat moot as a real biologist would almost always write "species of octopus", singular.
- jjtheblunt 9y agoor, Latin 5th declension plural, also "species (plural) of octopus"
- pvaldes 9y agoBoth forms are correct and are used as synonyms although referring to different things. Octopoda is an order, Octopus is the common name of animals in this order. On the other hand, octopuses normally are solitary and bottom attached; squids like the jewel squids do that countershading by light. Octopuses do not need this kind of defense normally. On the other hand squid countershading will not work with its smartest predators.
- giarc 9y agoOh you are right. I only quickly read the first paragraph or two of that section about the light in the eyes.
- mmjaa 9y agoSocial Octopuses? GTFO? Really? I must know more (as I am an avid octopus junky) and I thought that octopus were not social .. Got any more specifics?
- giarc 9y agoI could be wrong about that. I learned this in a microbiology course 10 years ago. So the focus was on the bacteria and the quorum sensing rather than the ecology of the octopus. Here's the wiki on the octopus species though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euprymna_scolopes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euprymna_scolopes
- pvaldes 9y agoI see. This is a sepiolidae. In a different superorder than octopuses then. Neither a squid nor a octopus; a close relative to cuttlefishes.
- bnegreve 9y ago> When the organ is full of these bacteria, the bacteria glow and therefore stop the shadow of the octopi. It seems weird because the animal itself would be a lot more visible. This wikipedia article [1] about firefly squid says that the animal uses it's ability to match the brightness and colour of its underside to the light coming from the surface, making it difficult for predators to detect it from below Is that it? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_squid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_squid
- giarc 9y agoHere is the species that I learned about. [1] As I mentioned in another comment, I learned about this in a microbiology course so the focus was on the Vibrio species of bacteria, not as much about the octopus. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euprymna_scolopes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euprymna_scolopes
- eschutte2 9y agoIf you're interested in this, you might like http://www.nautiluslive.org http://www.nautiluslive.org. It says they're planning to do another dive tonight.
- sandworm101 9y agoMost all waves glow at night. But to see it with the naked eye you need proper darkness. Ocean + waves + darkness = bad idea. So i cannot suggest anyone go looking for this.
- sand500 9y agoReminds me of this scene from apollo 13 https://youtu.be/N91ogCGpYl0 https://youtu.be/N91ogCGpYl0
- Gustomaximus 9y agoThere are significantly different levels of bioluminescence. You see some regularly. Occasionally it's truly glowing. Once I saw it at incredible levels. I was fortunate to be with friends and a spot we could swim. We were diving from about 3m above the water and watching our bodies go through the water leaving these tunnels of glow. If you were the diver and looked back your skin was glowing. Very cool and I can suggest everyone getting this experience assuming usual safety is covered.
- owlmirror 9y agoWhere was that and at what time in the year?
- Gustomaximus 9y agoSydney and not sure time of year. I dont remember it being cold so probably around summer.
- SophieHR 9y agoSaw a document once about red octopuses called red devils that attack in pack during night. Definitely not a fun thought to have.
- danesparza 9y agoTurns out the 'red devils' you are referring to are squid not octopuses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_squid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_squid It's OK -- I didn't know either, until right now. Thanks for the tip!
- SophieHR 9y agoThank you too, i will correct myself for the future XD
- sdfjkl 9y agoThe ocean is a fantastic place. We've recently crossed the Bay of Biscay under sail and have seen many pods of dolphins, bio-luminescence in our wake at night and the stars in a way you can only see far away from any source of light. Here's some dolphins for you (daytime though): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lWmOhS83kU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lWmOhS83kU
- pvaldes 9y agoA nice pod of common short-beaked dolphins (Delphinus delphis) :-)