Everything Octopus Contest...Starts Tomorrow!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to give thanks to the awesome readers who make EverythingOctopus.com the fun cephalophile hub that it is. You guys n gals rock! Check back tomorrow for details on how YOU can win a FREE octopus print from UrbandOctopus.com!

Urban Octopus: Find Your Soul

I first found Urban Octopus this past May at CycLAvia, an event where the streets of downtown LA are closed to cars and instead are open to cyclists, giving Angelenos an opportunity to experience the city from a new perspective. Before I knew the name, I was drawn to the Urban Octopus booth by the array of colorful art resourcefully hung along a parking lot gate.

I had already thought the art was fantastic...then I saw the octopus!

About Urban Octopus

It's a simple equation: Energy + Creativity = Urban Octopus

We believe that the true power of art is its ability to push the mind into a state of wonder. Our designs are created with the intention of carrying the viewer into that state of mind.

We hand-print (silk screen) our artwork only onto the highest quality garments so you can enjoy wearing them as much as we enjoy creating them.

In addition to these cool octopus-inspired designs, there are tons of other awesome prints available on posters, t-shirts, hoodies, onesies and more!

Find your soul within the mind of the octopus

Eight-armed Painter to Debut Talent During Octopus Month

In case you missed it last month...

Originally posted at hmsc.oregonstate.edu

Evidence for octopus intelligence abounds: the leggy invertebrates can use tools, solve problems, and display remarkable curiosity. But now aquarists at the Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor Center in Newport have found a way to allow Squirt, their resident octopus, to express his artistic creativity as well.

Just in time for Octopus Month at the Visitor Center, the husbandry team has created a device that allows the octopus to manipulate a series of paint brushes against a canvas outside of the tank. Aquarist Kristen Simmons was the brains behind the mechanism. “I did this to combine animal enrichment and public education.” she said, “The art gives people a different way to experience this animal's behavior.”

“While a painting octopus is very entertaining and captures our imaginations,” explained Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan, aquatic vet for Oregon Sea Grant, “the real purpose behind this activity is to provide behavioral enrichment for these very curious and intelligent animals.”

The Giant Pacific Octopus has been a centerpiece at the HMSC Visitor Center since 1965. Generations of visitors have fond remembrances of seeing the octopus for the first time. “The octopus holds a very special place in the hearts of our visitors” said Becca Schiewe, Volunteer Coordinator for the Visitor Center. “Coming face to face with such an intriguing and intelligent animal opens people up to learning more about the wonder and mystery of the ocean.”

Squirt’s colorful paintings have captured the attention of community artists in Newport, and several have volunteered to collaborate with Squirt on shared works. Alex Krupkin, artist and molecular biologist based at HMSC, was the first to collaborate with Squirt. “The octopus’s artistic style is really bold, yet open to interpretation…the opportunity to participate in this collaboration is pretty exciting,” he said.

The octopus will create one painting a week during the month of October, designated by the Visitor Center as Octopus Month. By making an additional donation to the Visitor Center Octopus fund, visitors will be entered into a weekly drawing for Squirt’s paintings and other prizes each week, including marine themed art from local artisans, and an “up close and personal” octopus encounter at HMSC.

Drawings will occur each Saturday in October. October 20th will be a special day to celebrate all things octopus and will include children’s activities, face painting, special guest speakers, and an octopus feeding at 1 pm.

Fans of Squirt can keep tabs on his activities – artistic and otherwise – by viewing the HMSC live streaming “OctoCam” at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam.

The mission of the HMSC Visitor Center is to interpret ocean science and the latest Oregon State University marine research. The Visitor Center features displays about local marine research and the marine environment, including aquaria, touch tanks, and hands-on activities. A range of special events is scheduled at the Center throughout the year. For more information, go to http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor.

(O)(o)(O)(o)(O)>

Be sure to visit Hatfield MarineScience Center's OctoCam to keep an eye on what Squirt is up to!

Gorgeous Jewelry by Everything Octopus Reader, Ele Maudsley

Everything Octopus reader, Ele Maudsley, took her talent for jewelry design and combined it with the inspiration she draws from octopuses to create a stunning line of handmade jewelry to dive for!!!

Ele's Bio

Hello, my name is Ele. I am currently based in my home town Carnforth, Lancashire. I completed my degree in metalwork and jewellery at Sheffiled Hallam University. I am an artist, designer maker specialising in metalwork and jewellery, my pieces being a crossover of both worlds.

I like to create objects that can be admired as pieces of sculptural art but which can also be worn and intereract with the body. My work is theatrical, bold and interactive and would lend itself to a catwalk or performance scenario. I work predominately in silver or brass, enjoy combining metals and other materials and use hand skills as well as some engineering. I am inspired by natural form, history, surrealism, storytelling and the Steampunk aesthetic, combining old and new. I try to incorporate a kinetic element to suprise and entertain the wearer/viewer.

Please visit Ele's site, EleMaudsleyDesign.com to see more of her tentacular creations.

Octopus Ink: What Does it Do?

A few years back, we explored the the mechanics of how octopus inking works. To recap, octopuses have an ink sac located near their digestive system, and when necessary, they can eject ink out of the sac accompanied by a burst of water to serve as a smokescreen to confuse predators while the octopus swims away.

Octopuses have two main methods of inking. The first type is the one with which we are most familiar. The octopus will squirt a large cloud of ink, then make a quick getaway, leaving behind a predator befuddled by the inky smokescreen. Sometimes though, the octopus will release several small clouds of ink approximately the same size as the octopus itself meant to be pseudomorphs or "false bodies" that serve as decoys to confuse the predator. What's interesting is that the composition of these smaller ink "bodies" differs from that of one large ink cloud as they contain greater amounts of mucus, thereby allowing them to hold their form longer while the octopus - or cephalopod - escapes.

This method, commonly referred to as "blanch-ink-jet maneuver", is so effective a variety of species have been witnessed attacking the false bodies.

Wait - it gets better! There is some evidence to suggest that certain chemical compounds found in octopus ink actually suppress or disable certain predators' chemosensory systems, leading scientists to believe that octopus ink is much more than a mere smokescreen.

Cephalopod ink has been shown to contain several chemicals with some varieties depending on the species. The primary components are melanin and mucus. Tyrosinase, dopamine and L-DOPA, and small amounts of amino acids, including taurine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine and lysine are also known constituents of octopus ink.

While there is still much research to be done, recent evidence suggests that cephalopod ink is toxic to tumor cells.

We have a long way to go to uncover the many mysteries shrouding the octopus, so please join us as we continue to explore and celebrate everything octopus.