Calamari For Christmas

Calamari For Christmas

Sigh. I was going to write with lyric beauty about a dream I had last night, in which I was finally, finally successful in feeding baby squid. I watched them stuffing copepods into their mouths with…
More on CA Market Squid

More on CA Market Squid

News of the California market squid fishery closure is spreading. "We have had a banner year for market squid this year," said Dale Sweetnam, a Fish and Game marine biologist who oversees the…
How Many, How Much?

How Many, How Much?

A key question in ecology is: who eats whom? This can be fairly straightforward to answer, by observing predatory or grazing activities, by opening up stomachs or sifting through feces, or even by…
Closing the California Market Squid Fishery

Closing the California Market Squid Fishery

Big squid news, in California at least: the state Department of Fish and Game announced that the fishery for California market squid is hitting its harvest limit and is scheduled to be closed on…
Squid-eating Whales Pay the Price in Pollutants

Squid-eating Whales Pay the Price in Pollutants

All this talking I've been doing about those nasty ol' sperm whales hunting down and devouring poor defenseless squid (okay, they're not quite defenseless, but still) might make you think I'm a whale…
The Sappy Mystery Of Mangrove Swamps

The Sappy Mystery Of Mangrove Swamps

The mechanisms are used by plants when they extract water from very dry or inhospitable land could provide insight into how to do the same thing more efficiently for people. "In the case of mangrove…
Biomimicry: Squid Skin!

Biomimicry: Squid Skin!

Okay, this is really cool. It's an interdisciplinary project between biologists, mathematicians, and engineers to understand and, eventually, mimic cephalopod skin. One of Hanlon's many discoveries…
Spirits From The Vasty Deep

Spirits From The Vasty Deep

Back in October I wrote on the subject of the Kraken, stating rather emphatically and cantankerously that whales eat squid. It is a unidirectional ecological interaction. I received a very thoughtful…