When I was a grad student, a group of faculty and grads talked about doing an animal communication class. Despite none of us knowing anything about the subjects, we figured we would each take a week and present some of the research and ideas relating to communication within the species. There were some obvious choices: bird calls, orangutans, dolphins. My choice was the cuttlefish. It amazes me that more people are not as fascinated by cuttlefish as I am: not as lunch or as a beak sharpening implement, but as a highly communicative and equally unusual creature. So, I was pleased to see that Google Video has this Nova special on cuttlefish available on the web.
Cuttlefish
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3 Comments
Aha! I recall hearing the first part of this story in our theory class — you promised a free A to anyone who could guess which animal you picked. Cuttlefish would have been my… 3rd or 4th guess.
First, I am pleased to see you have a category devoted specifically to sea monsters. Check out the orr fish and the ocean sunfish for some good nightmare material.
Second, if you’re ever in the metro Atlanta area and have about a half a day to kill, check out their aquarium. They have a very cool cuttlefish display; I was lucky enough to see them being fed. Beyond that, it is the largest aquarium in the world, the South America exhibit is chock full of monsters (the arowana are very impressive).
I don’t recall them working in swarms though, so who would they be communicating to, their prey? Anyway, if only someone can design an active camo cream…