Octopuses Walking - the movies -first underwater bipedal locomotion

[papau]

Octopuses Walking - the movies -first underwater bipedal locomotion

http://wid.ap.org/video/octopus.rm
http://news.yahoo.com/p/v?u=/ap_av/20050324/av_ap_us/17a13a60d30076147a765223ff7f5c64&cid=448&f=53746353
http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/misc/hp_jumps/octopus/acul.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/09/0920_octopusmimic.html
http://www.oceanfootage.com/stockfootage/Mimic+Octopus//?DVfSESSCKIE=8c311f9ceae6558f68b8ade57293cac557d66e42
http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/indo_malayan_mimic_octopus
http://pharyngula.org/images/octo-snake.mov
http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/misc/hp_jumps/octopus/marg.html
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050321/multimedia/050321-14-m2.html
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050321/multimedia/050321-14-m1.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/307/5717/1927


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Octopuses Seen Walking From Predators
- By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
Monday, March 28, 2005


(03-28) 04:35 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --


Octopuses, known for using camouflage to avoid predators, have been observed apparently trying to sneak away by walking on two arms while pretending to be a bunch of algae. Two kinds of octopus were seen to use different ways of walking along the sea floor, researchers were reporting in Friday's issue of the journal Science.


The movements were discovered by Christine L. Huffard of the University of California, Berkeley, who was studying underwater video camera tapes of the animals.


Berkeley professor Robert J. Full said Huffard was studying octopus movement as part of a robotics project. He said the researchers use examples from nature in designing robots; one project is to build a soft robot.


Octopuses trying to avoid being eaten usually hold still to camouflage themselves. But by walking on two arms, these two types were able to move quickly while using their other arms to disguise themselves.


Two individuals of O. marginatus from Indonesia wrapped six arms around themselves, looking like a coconut on the sea floor. They then used the two rear arms to move backward.


In Australia, O. aculeatus was seen raising two arms above its head before lifting four more and moving backward on the two remaining arms. The researchers described it as looking like "a clump of algae tiptoeing away."


http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050321/multimedia/050321-14-m2.html

• Coconut camouflage
March 24: An Octopus marginatus scurries backward along the sea floor on two arms, using its six others to mimic a coconut shell.
Sea Studios Foundation

http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/indo_malayan_mimic_octopus
http://pharyngula.org/images/octo-snake.mov

http://pharyngula.org/images/octo-flatfish.mov

Now here's a cephalopod with a real talent. The first picture below is this clever Indonesian mimic octopus propped up above his burrow, keeping an eye out for food and danger; in the next picture, he's on the prowl, just relaxing in his natural colors.


Startle him, though, and poof, he transforms into a flatfish and swims away!


If he's worried more, he'll suddenly adopt the coloration and shape of a spiny, poisonous lionfish.


Aaaah! It's a banded sea-snake! Swim away!
But no, actually it's the octopus again.


And if you want to see these impressive tricks in action, here's a couple of movies. In the first, the octopus flashes stripes, and then turns brown, curls around, and swims off just like a flatfish.


1.4MB Quicktime movie
In this one, he's tucked into his burrow with just two arms hanging out, doing a sea snake impression. Near the end, watch the fish swim into view, say "Yikes!"* and dart away again.


3.2MB Quicktime movie

*OK, he really doesn't say anything, but you know he was thinking it.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Hee

They are so cute-and tasty too.

[htuttle]

2. I'd like to be under the sea...

...In an octopus' garden in the shade...

Seriously, they haven't spotted any unusual black monoliths down there, have they?

[DBoon]

3. I'd like to be

under the sea
In an octopus' garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
In his octopus' garden in the shade

[elehhhhna]

4. Nominated for greatest page. Tooooo cool!

[yorkiemommie1]

5. wow! thanks for posting this!!!!!!

n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

6. So cool!

[Barad Simith]

7. Walktapuses

thaz right, i said it

[Barad Simith]

8. i wonder if cartoon sneaking-away music plays while they're doing it

[burythehatchet]

9. was one of those guys Squidward?

[rocktivity]

10. Octopii are highly intelligent creatures

Uh oh--does this qualify as evolution or intelligent design?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Az_lefty]

11. Octopi walking ?

next thing they'll be lifting weights on the beach.

[Nihil]

13. Nah ...

... they've got smarter than that!

[prodigal_green]

12. Sooo cool

Thanks, that really brightened my day.