Cool Films Handcrafted by Cephalopods

Everything Octopus reader, Ian, shared this very cool video with us that I think you'll all enjoy!

Have you ever heard an octopus speak? Neither had I until I watched this interview with Reg the Octopus. He just might be the hardest working Octopus in Hollywood. Wait till you hear his resume...

Reg The Octopus on VPoint.tv

A Very Octopus Holiday

I trust all my fellow cephalophiles had a fantastic holiday! Were you the lucky recipient of an octopus-themed gift? Or was your tree adorned with tentacles rather than tinsel? I invite all Everything Octopus readers to share their pictures and stories of octopus gifts, decorations, cards, anything octopus that they enjoyed this holiday.

Please share your octo-glory by emailing your submissions to EverythingOctopus@gmail.com by December 31st.

To kick things off, check out this adorable octo-stocking lovingly handmade by one crafty reader:


Everything Octopus reader, Amber Gilmore, said her husband requested an octopus stocking this year, so she happily obliged! Can you imagine the look on ol' Cephalo Claus's face when he saw this gem hung by the chimney with care?!

Looking forward to your submissions!

And The Winner Is...

As generated by Random.org...

#4 - CuteNiceChick21

Thank you all so much for your valuable feedback! I look forward to providing you with everything that you asked for here at Everything Octopus in the year to come.

Stay tuned for more octo-fabulousness in the coming week!

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

Happy Cephalopodmas Contest!

In celebration of Cephalopodmas, Everything Octopus is holding a contest for our Followers. Entry is simple, and the prize is pretty special...an Octopus Ornament, perfect for your Cephalopodmas tree or just a festive decoration for your home. After scouring the internet for the best octopus ornaments, I still felt that this little orange eight-armed ball of love reigned supreme.


To Enter...

1) You must be a Follower of Everything Octopus. If you're not already a Follower, go to the right hand side of the page and click "Follow" under the "Follow the Octopus" headline. You'll automatically get Everything Octopus updates and be part of a fun ceph-loving community!

2) Comment on this post and tell us your favorite species of Octopus. Common name or scientific name, it's all good. If you really wanna' have fun with it, tell us WHY it's your favorite species.

If you're like me and need to see everything before you can pick one, then click here to see all the Species we've featured on Everything Octopus thus far.

3) In your comment, include where you want to see more octopus...maybe you want more octopus clothing, octopus jewelry, octopus lamps, octopus cars, octopus art, octopus books, octopus blankets, octopus anything! Tell us what you want more of!

***Be sure to include your email address in your comment, so that we may contact you and tell you you've WON! If your email is not included in your blogger profile (meaning that we can click on your name in the comment box to access it), then please add it to your comment.***

The winner will be selected by a raffle, meaning that if 50 people post comments, we'll randomly draw a number between 1 and 50, and the commenter that corresponds with that number is the winner. One entry per person, please.

The contest will run until Friday, December 17th at 11:59pm PST, and the winner will be announced on Saturday, December 18th. Have fun and good luck!!!

A Good Day for Octopuses in Hong Kong

An octopus is released by a group of Buddhists into Victoria harbour in Hong Kong on 4 December 2010. The group gather regularly to release fish left unsold from Hong Kong’s thriving local markets back into the harbour, while offering prayers of long life and freedom from future captors.

This was originally posted on AllCreatures.Tumblr.com

Thanks to Everything Octopus reader, Rene, for sharing this link!

***Be sure to check back tomorrow for the annual Everything Octopus Cephalopodmas Contest!***

Pewter Octopus Candlestick Holder

In my search for an Octopus Menorah, I found this beautiful octopus candelabra.



While it is for sale on a few different sites, the best price I found was at Bonanza.com, where this lovely addition to a dining table can be yours for a mere $570.

Maybe it's not too late to add this beautiful octopus glory onto your Christmas wish list!

...speaking of which, a Cephalopodmas contest is on it's way to you next week!

Happy Hanukkah!

After searching high and low, going places near and far, and investigating here and there, I'm sad to report that I did not find a single octopus menorah! I heard whispers of their existence, read tales of their glory, but never actually saw one for myself.

I did, however, find many other interesting octopus goodies, which I'll be posting in the coming week.

For now, I wish you a Happy Hanukkah brought to you by this lil' eight-arm cutie:

Video: Argonaut

In celebration of a truly unique species of octopus, here's a neat little video of an argonaut doing its thing out in the wild.


Filmed by Yasushi Okumura of Japan Underwater Films


To learn more about this incredible species of octopus, check out the earlier post, Species: Argonaut.

Octopuses of Autumn

Of course, cephalophiles know that every season is octopus season...I've scoured the web and come up with some cool, some clever, some kooky autumn octopuses for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!









Did any Everything Octopus readers carve an octopus pumpkin? It's not too late to carve up a tentacular pumpkin for your Thanksgiving decor. Let's see what you got!

Sterling Silver Octopus Bracelet from Wildlife Wonders

Octopus jewelry is a favorite here at Everything Octopus, and thanks to a friendly octo-loving co-worker, I found the mother of all octopus bracelets on WildlifeWonders.com! Behold...


Product Description

Truly impressive Octopus sterling silver bracelet by Kabana Jewelry. The unique detail gives this bracelet a striking look and texture. Kabana's innovative design team and skilled craftsmen combine contemporary design, time-honored techniques, and state of the art technology to produce the highest quality jewelry. Handcrafted in the USA.

Price: $699.99

Now who wouldn't love this beauty wrapped around their wrist...?

Any Octopus Costumes Out There???

Was anyone an octopus for Halloween? Or did see any cool octopus costumes?

Post a link to a picture of a fabulous octopus costume in the comments and let us revel in the glory!

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

Anthropologie Octopus Tea Cup

I thought you might enjoy a little something I picked up at one of my favorite stores over the summer...a delightful little octopus tea cup from Anthropologie!





Octopus Tea Cup Description

Inky tentacles swirl up from the sea to cradle your coffee or tea.

Stoneware
Dishwasher and microwave safe
15.5 oz
3"H, 5.25" diameter
Imported

$14

I can tell you from experience, sharing your tea with an octopus makes each brew a splendid occasion!

Species: Argonaut

These unique creatures are also sometimes referred to as "paper nautiluses", because of the paper-thin eggcase that females secrete. The case is actually a chamber in which air is trapped to maintain buoyancy, and not the same structure present in a nautilus shell. Argonauts are pelagic octopuses, meaning that they live in the open sea, far from the ocean floor. They can be found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world

Like most octopuses, they have a rounded body, eight arms and no fins. However, unlike most octopuses, argonauts live close to the sea surface rather than on the seabed. Argonauta species are characterised by very large eyes and small distal webs.

Mankind has known about female Argonauts since ancient times, however because of the many differences between the males and females of the speices, we only became aware of the males in the late 19th century. Females grow up to 10 cm and make shells up to 30 cm, while males rarely surpass 2 cm. The males only mate once in their short lifetime, whereas the females are capable of having offspring many times with different partners over the course of their lives. I

Interestingly, the males lack the dorsal tentacles used by the females to create their eggcases. Instead, the males use a modified arm, the hectocotylus, to transfer sperm to the female. For fertilization, the arm is inserted into the female's pallial cavity, then is detached from the male. The hectocotylus when found in females was originally described as a parasitic worm!

After depositing her eggs into her eggcase, she will take shelter in it. Females are usually found with her head and tentacles protruding from the opening of the egg case, but they retreats deeper inside if disturbed. These ornate curved white eggcases are occasionally found floating on the sea, sometimes with the female argonaut clinging to it.



Argonauts use tentacles to grab prey and drag it toward the mouth. It then bites the prey to inject it with poison from the salivary gland. They feed on small crustaceans, molluscs, jellyfish and salps. If the prey is shelled, the argonaut uses its radula to drill into the organism, then inject the poison. They generally eat during the day.

Customary of octopuses, Argonauts are capable of altering their color. They can blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators. They also produce ink, which is ejected when the animal is being attacked. This ink paralyzes the olfaction of the attacker, providing time for the argonaut to escape. The female is also able to pull back the web covering of her shell, making a silvery flash, which may deter a predator from attacking.

Octo-fuss in Walla Walla Continues!

So sorry for the absence of Everything Octopus these past few months. Thank you for your patience and for your many inspired and motivating emails! I thought we'd start things back up with a call to arms of sorts, all eight of them!!!

From: keprtv.com, October, 19, 2010
Written by: Molly Kelleher


WALLA WALLA -- The octo-fuss continues in Walla Walla. A giant purple octopus painting has racked up nearly $1,000 in fines for a toy store owner. And KEPR learned that owner has hired a lawyer to fight the city's decision.

A father walking by the mural pointed it out to his son, explaining, "They're making them take it down... What do you think of that?"
It's all anyone can talk about in downtown Walla Walla and online. Even a Facebook page titled "Save the Endangered Purple Octopus" was just put up last week and already has 2,400+ fans.

Inland Octopus Toy Store owner Bob Catsiff shared, "To me, that's just an amazing number. I have nothing to do with the Facebook page, it does show how much support there is for this mural."

They say you can't fight city hall, but Catsiff says he has no choice. He's hired a lawyer to fight the fines, amounting to $100 a day for every day that purple octopus stays up.

Catsiff explained, "I kind of look at it as pretty heavy-handed. I'm right so I'll fight it."

Walla Walla's city manager Nabiel Shawa says, "I think it's fair to say this issue has taken on a life of its own."

KEPR found out the city has received 33 emails about the purple octopus, most in favor of keeping it, and a handful of phone calls.

KEPR asked, "Does public outcry play into the city's decision at all?" Shawa answered, "That's not how the judicial system works. He's violated code. He was aware of the requirements."

Catsiff responded, "My belief is that the code is unconstitutionally vague. Over broad."

Catsiff has argued it's not a sign, it's a mural. But the city manager tells KEPR it doesn't matter, and there was no permit application. The fight will now go to a hearing examiner. An outside attorney will decide if the purple octopus will stay, or go. If the shop owner loses that battle, there's always an appeal in superior court.

In the meantime, the purple octopus will watch over Walla Walla, and those who keep talking about it.

Fan this page on Facebook! Save the Endangered Purple Octopus

Damn the man, Save the octopus!

Big Brother is Watching!

06/07/2010
From: BeachConnection.net

(Newport, Oregon) – An icon and celebrity of the central Oregon coast – albeit a rather slimy, freaky one – is now a bit more famous as it shows up live on a computer near you.

Everyone who’s ever been to the Hatfield remembers him. And now they can check him out 24 hours a day.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport just opened its octopus tank to the world by streaming live video of their giant Pacific Octopus – seen at http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam

There are two web cams being utilized: one is outside the tank and slightly above, and the other inside. Their famed resident cephalopod can be seen interacting with tank mates and visitors to the center peering in. The funky feature skirts in and out of various nooks and crannies in the tank, sometimes disappearing out of view of the camera for a time. There is an addictive quality to this, as you see this remarkable creature curl up into strange shapes and wander around his habitat. You definitely wonder what’s on his mind.

Viewers can also watch archival footage of the octopus investigating the camera when it was first installed; and more archival footage will be added periodically.

Since the Hatfield opened its doors in 1965, the giant Pacific octopus has been a centerpiece and a definite favorite. It has not been the same one all these years, of course: typically an adult octopus stays in the tank for between one and two years. Crabbers often donate young octopuses, which then replace older animals that are released into Yaquina Bay to find a mate and reproduce.

The Hatfield said that many visitors arrange their trips to the facility to catch sight of staff feeding the creature, which happens three times a week and involves giving him live crab. He creates quite a spectacle as he stalks his prey, then pounces on it – allowing tourists to learn much about their biology and behavior. These feeding times vary depending on the season. The schedule can be seen at the Hatfield site: http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor

Getting the web cam in place took the combined efforts of most of the branches of the center, including its media services program.

Dennis Glaze, the aquatic curator and husbandry specialist with the center’s Sea Grant program, first had to evaluate the feasibility of putting a camera into the creature’s habitat tank.

“Octopuses are intelligent, inquisitive, and very strong,” said Glaze. “They have the ability to take apart even the smallest mechanical component – and often will do so just to entertain themselves. Other public aquariums have had great difficulties making a project like this successful.”

Glaze said the first concern was the health of the octopus, and then they had to make sure the camera would make it in such an environment.

Staff already had some experience with an underwater camera in the octopus tank, streaming feeds to children around the state in its various schools for interactive programs. One was recently streamed to kids in Iowa.

“None of the 20 students present had ever been to the Pacific Ocean let alone seen a live giant Pacific octopus,” said marine educator Kathryn Hawes. “They were all so full of questions. This tool opens up some remarkable teaching opportunities.”

The OctoCam has been undergoing testing for a few weeks with a limited audience of HMSC employees, volunteers and supporters.

“I can't stop watching,” one fascinated tester said. “This is just the coolest thing I've ever seen on the Internet.”

For more news about science, marine education and related activities on the Oregon coast, subscribe to “Breaking Waves,” the Oregon Sea Grant news blog, at: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/blogs/.

Killer Octopus Films!

For those of us living in the City of Angels, we are not alone. An invasion of killer octopuses has threatened the existence of mankind as we know it. Swimming pools, toilet bowls, and even drinking glasses have become unsafe, because where there is water, the devilfish is close by. These malicious eight-armed power mongers take have been taking over the minds - and in some cases, taking the lives - of the citizens of Los Angeles.

Our only hope is two brave detectives, Kyle Monroe and Gal Hubeshi, who have committed their lives to saving our city from this hostile takeover. Please give them your support as they valiantly take on the most heinous villain this city has ever seen. With your help, we may be able to save our beloved city from the long-reaching arms of the KILLER OCTOPUS!!!!



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

Everything Octopus reader, Andrea Monroe, has taken her love of the octopus to the internet in this fun and exciting video series about two detectives who are saving Los Angeles from an octopus invasion. The video above is the first in the series. Andrea & co. recently debuted the sixth installment in the Killer Octopus series, "Mama Mia", which can be viewed along with the other videos at KillerOctopusFilms.com.

Andrea was inspired to start Killer Octopus Films by her son and his adventurous imagination. She wrote a script based on his play acting, invited his best bud, shot it, edited it, and launched it into cyber space. Andrea encourages viewer participation, and even gives eager cephalophiles and cinephiles the opportunity to submit ideas and guest star in the series!

For more info, to contribute, or to watch the full series, please head over to KilleroctopusFilms.com.

Please share this with all your octo-loving friends and especially your kids!

Pottery Barn Sea-Life Napkin Rings

I was walking around Pottery Barn yesterday and happened to come across these aquatic napkin rings featuring our friend, the octopus.




Product Description
Bring aquatic style to your table with our glass sea creatures. Each is pulled into lifelike detail by craftsmen working in the pre-Renaissance art of lampworking.
Handmade of clear silica glass.
Set of 4 includes starfish, jellyfish, octopus and crab.
$49 per set

Ancient Octopus Mystery Resolved

By Rosalind Pidcock
Science reporter, BBC News

May 19, 2010


Trapped air in the shells of rare octopuses is the key to their survival in the deep sea, say scientists.

Females of the argonaut family (Argonautidae) release trapped air from their shells to control very precisely their movement through the water.

This ability has puzzled naturalists for over 2,000 years, dating back to observations made by Aristotle in 300 BC.

Research published in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, finally explains why it may have evolved.

The Australian researchers describe how the mechanism enables the creatures to conserve energy, avoid predators and protect eggs during the brooding stage.

The study, led by Dr Julian Finn of Museum Victoria in Melbourne, is the first to observe directly how this unique species of octopus captures air at the sea surface and uses it to its advantage.

"It wasn't until I actually got an argonaut in the water that I really saw the true marvel of these animals," said Dr Finn.

Unlike any other species of octopus, the female argonaut, which can be up to 50cm (20 inches) in length, makes itself a paper-thin shell. It secretes this shell, made of calcium carbonate, from two web structures on the sides of its body.

The males are much smaller, typically only a centimetre in length, and do not produce shells.

Mythical Creatures
Air pockets have been observed before within the shells of both wild and captive argonauts, also known as "paper nautiluses", but their origin and purpose has until now been a mystery.

"This mythical story began around the time of Aristotle that the argonaut female actually lived in the shell and raised those webs as sails as she sailed across the ocean," explained Dr Finn.

The new findings show that the female argonaut takes in air at the sea surface through a funnel as it rotates its shell anti-clockwise. It then seals off an air pocket in the top, or apex, of the shell using a second webbed pair of tentacles.

As it dives to depths of up to 750m (almost half a mile) below the surface, it adjusts the amount of air in its shell to match its own density with that of the seawater, keeping it "neutrally buoyant" and enabling it to swim effortlessly.

This contrasts with most other cephalopods - the class of animals that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish - which expend vast amounts of energy to maintain their position.

Underwater Control
The female argonaut can also counteract the considerable weight of its eggs, which it releases into its shell during the reproductive period, to carefully avoid bumping them on the sea floor.

By keeping a safe position in mid-water, argonauts can also steer clear of disturbance by surface waves and predators from above, such as birds.

Once believed to hinder the females, it is now thought that argonauts evolved this remarkable mechanism from ancestors that lived on the seafloor, allowing the species to expand its range into mid-depths.

"The female argonaut knows exactly what she was doing. Underwater she was completely in control," added Dr Finn.

Dragon Ball Octopapa

Everything Octopus reader, Michelle my Bell, alerted me to the dark and sinister Dragon Ball character that is OCTOPAPA!!!


Octopapa is a giant octopus Goku encounters in the pirate cave. He was mistook for a spider which got him angry and he wanted to eat Goku. Goku ends up frying him with a Kamehameha Wave and eating him. According to Goku he apparently tastes like chicken.

Thanks, Michelle!

An Octopus Affair Party Pics!

A couple weeks ago, Everything Octopus reader, Kevin Muncie, threw a fabulous octopus-themed party entitled An Octopus Affair. Here are some pics showing what creative and crafty friends Kevin has (o)(O)(o)(O)(o)>

London Design Festival to Bring Robot Octopus to Trafalgar Square

That's what the world needs...more robot octopuses!!! Read the article below to hear all about how the octopus is wrapping its arms around the world, one city at a time!


May 14, 2010
Written by Angus Montgomery, DesignWeek.co.uk

Trafalgar Square is to play host to a giant ‘mechanical octopus’ as part of this year’s London Design Festival.

The Outrace installation, created by German/Swedish consultancy Kram/Weisshaar, will be in place throughout the festival, which runs from 18-26 September.

The installation uses six industrial robotic arms from the Audi production line, which will project light traces into the air. The public will be able to control the arms to draw and write texts in light – the resulting images will be captured by long-exposure cameras and displayed online.

Kram/Weisshaar’s Reed Kram, who describes the installation as ‘an immense mechanical octopus’, says, ‘We wanted to allow people to control these beasts.’

Additional projects for this year’s LDF include the Size & Matter installation, by Paul Cocksedge Studio. This installation, set for the South Bank, will comprise three distorted metallic discs, which Cocksedge likens to 3m-diameter 1p pieces which have been dropped from the sky.

The discs will be magnetised to attract copper coinage. Cocksedge says this will allow people to ‘decorate, donate to and change the sculpture’.

Stuart Haygarth, Max Lamb and writers’ group 26 will be creating installations for the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Neville Brody is plotting an Anti Design Festival, from a Shoreditch base.

And the Winner is...

KRISTINA!!!!

(You can email me at everythingoctopus@gmail.com with shipping info)

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

Thank you, everyone, for your awesome entries into the cephalo-word contest! I feel privileged to have such talented and creative readers. Please keep coming by and reading Everything Octopus, and continue to contribute your wonderful selves to the blog!

More contests coming this summer!

Cephalo-word Contest!!!

In celebration of cephalopods, Everything Octopus is holding a contest for our Followers. It's simple and fun to enter, plus you can submit as many entries as you want to increase your chances of winning!

"Win what?" you might be wondering...Win a FREE KRAKEN RUM POSTER, of course! A while back, Kraken Rum was giving these beauties away, but not any longer, making them a hot commodity in the octo-lovin' world. YOURS will arrive to you brand new and never opened.


To Enter...

1) You must be a Follower of Everything Octopus. If you're not already a Follower, go to the right hand side of the page and click "Follow" under the "Follow the Octopus" headline. You'll automatically get Everything Octopus updates and be part of a wild n' zany ceph-loving community!

2) Comment on this post with your very own made-up cephalopod word. Some of my favorites that I use frequently are octo-lovin', cephalophunk, tentacular, loverpus...you get the idea. All cephalopods are game, not just the octopus, so show some love for the squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus too. Have fun letting your imagination run wild!

Each comment containing your cephalo-word will count as an entry. YOU CAN ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT.

***Be sure to include your email address so that we may contact you and tell you you've WON! If your email is not included in your blogger profile (meaning that we can click on your name in the comment box to access it), then please add it to your comment.***

The winner will be selected by a raffle, meaning that if there are 100 coments, we'll randomly draw a number between 1 and 100, and the commenter that corresponds with that number is the winner.

The contest will run until midnight on Monday, May 3rd, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 4th.

Get creative, have fun, and good luck!!!

An Octopus Affair!

One very creative Everything Octopus reader is on an octo-lovin' joyride and he's taking all his friends with him! Kevin is hosting a very special party tonight called "An Octopus Affair". You can read all about it at OctopusAffair.info (Yes, this party is so hip that it even has its own website!)

Below are some photos of the handmade invitations. Note the use of an octopus rubber stamp...very cute and clever!



I'm looking forward to the post-party pics!

P.S. To the loyal readers of Everything Octopus...I feel a contest coming on!!! Check back this week to find out what we're giving away and how YOU can win!

More Heavenly Octopus Housewares from Anthropologie

If the octopus sofa is a little out of your price range, you may want to start bringing the octopus into your home with these other beautiful - and affordable - pieces from Anthropologie.com.


De Vincennes Octopus Dinner Plate - $24



Life-at-Sea Octopus Tumbler - $14



From the Deep Octopus Salad Plate - $14

The plates would be just as beautiful hung on a wall as they would gracing your dining table. These would be ideal for a kitchen or a kitschy powder room. You could even buy one tumbler and use it as a casual vase for fresh flowers.

Have fun octo-fying your home!

Octopus Stockings

Because what lady wouldn't love a little octo-action crawling up her leg? I found these cuties on Etsy.com and really want a pair!







Gab and Tal, the ladies behind Post on Etsy.com know what's up; they've been featuring the octopus on a wide variety of cute stockings in all different colors, styles, and sizes. Prices range from $13-$23.

Product Description
They are guaranteed to turn some heads! They complement your feet and make you feel like you have a gorgeous tattoo. They are cheap, chic, and unique and you won't find them anywhere else!

The design is printed in black on one sock. You get one printed and one blank sock. I really like the asymmetric look, it gives more focus and attracts more attention.

I love that you can play with the design and rotate the tattoo to position it wherever you want!

PETA Aims to Stop Octopus Cruelty!

From: The PETA Files
March 19, 2010

Showing cruelty of gastronomical proportions, restaurants in Queens (Sik Gaek and East Seafood Restaurant) are chopping up and serving live octopuses to customers. Octopuses have their tentacles cut off while they are still conscious and are then served, writhing, while their hearts are still beating. Others are slowly steamed alive in front of customers before their tentacles and upper bodies are cut into small pieces with scissors.

Since we can't "release the Kraken" on these animal abusers, we're unleashing our legal team on the district attorney—calling on the DAs to file cruelty charges against the restaurants. Because octopuses have sophisticated nervous systems and feel pain just as acutely as mammals do, we feel that the restaurants' practices clearly violate the state's anti-cruelty statute.

Recently, octopuses were observed carrying around coconut shells to use as shelter—making these complex cephalopods the first known invertebrate animals to use tools. These "deep" thinkers are also fond of decorating. They decorate their dens with bottle caps, stones, and other objects that they find on the ocean floor. They are so smart that they can also learn how to do things such as unscrew jars by watching someone else do it—once!

Let's hope that the district attorney in this case is just as smart and sentient. You can call or fax the Queens County District Attorney's Office and politely ask that they take action against these restaurateurs. We'll keep you posted. Until then, take this octopus-inspired poll.

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

Unfortunately, this practice is nothing new. The eating of live octopuses has been taking place in Korea and Japan long before PETA ever existed. Now that the trend is popping up stateside, PETA has taken notice and is fighting to outlaw this barbaric practice.

In case you've ever wondered why I don't feature octopus used in food or simply as food on this blog, it's because it's not in alignment with my values. This is the place where we explore and celebrate everything octopus, which means treating our subject of honor with respect.

Let the celebration continue!!!

Random Octopus: Vard's Eight-Arm Shopping Adventure

Everything Octopus reader, Vard, is a natural octo-attractor. That's the only way to explain how she stumbles upon so many random octopuses in her travels. Check out all the octopus goodies she found during one shopping trip:







Since I don't get over to Poland too often, it's very helpful to have a reader like Vard keep us all abreast of overseas octopus action. Check out Vard's Blog for more!

***If YOU have octopus goodies, pictures, artwork, videos, or stories that you'd like featured on EverythingOctopus.com, please email me at EverythingOctopus@Gmail.com***

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

Ever your faithful octobabe,

Liz

"But What I Really Wanna' Do is Direct", Said the Octopus

Check out this awesome video of a rogue octopus who snatched a camera from a diver.



Here's what the lucky diver had to say:

while trying to get video of a wild octopus, it suddenly dashed towards me and rips my shiny new camera from out of my hands, then swims off, all while the camera is recording! he swam away very quickly like a naughty shoplifter. after a 5 minute chase, I placed my speargun underneath him and he quickly and curiously grabbed hold of the gun as well, giving me enough time to reach in and grab the camera from out of his mouth. I didn't feel threatened at all during the whole ordeal. he seemed to be fixated on the shiny metallic blue digital camera. the only confusing behavior was how he dashed off with it like a thief haha. cheeky octopus.

songs by: Vincent Gillioz - Car Chase
Dalmatian Rex and the Eigentones - Octopus I Love You

filmed and edited by: Victor Huang

location: Wahine Memorial, Wellington, New Zealand

*please note, I was free diving, not scuba diving during this entire ordeal. some news agencies and bloggers have mixed up this fact.

*and if your still bored, go to my Channel to view other crazy sea adventures which I've filmed in Wellington, New Zealand

thanks for watching, and remember life is too short to spend it in front of a tv or at the shopping mall......get out there and live it up! these moments of beauty exist every single second in nature.

love,
vic

Everything Octopus readers, don't you love the octopus song?!

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

Octopus Tap: The Original Multi-Spout Beer Tap

The octopus is everywhere these days, from sofas to movies to art and now to beer taps.

OctopusTap.com sells an assortment of drinking paraphernalia, including the famed "Octopus Tap", which is a spout that attaches to a keg and serves up to four beers at once. Perfect for entertaining a few of your closest beer-loving cephalo-pals!