Happy Thought for 12 August 2022

Have a Happy Thought: 

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water… at least in your regular togs/swimsuit/wetsuit

Turns out you’ll need to work a lot harder to get into the ‘best dressed’ category when competing with creatures from the deep.


You could go for white (as long as it’s between Memorial Day and Labor Day in the US), but it’s hard to beat the ‘Casper’ octopod, seen here slowly crawling across a basalt outcrop.


Image: Deep Discoverer ROV team, NOAA OFFICE OF OCEAN EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH, HOHONU MOANA 2016

 

If you’re going for something flashy, then you’ll have to contend with the scaly-foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum), also known as a sea pangolin. It literally takes iron out of the water coming from hydrothermal vents, and converts it into a suit of scaled armour.


Image: Dr Chong Chen/IUCN

 

And if you decide to go for colourful, you’re out of luck if a female blanket octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus) decides to show up. She’ll steal all your thunder with her rainbow cape that can be up to 2 meters long – but you won’t have to worry if the male of her species shows up – he’s the size of a walnut.


Image: Joseph Elayani/YouTube

 

More information about:

Casper: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31286-6

The Scaly Footed Scale: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/03/discovered-in-the-deep-the-snail-with-iron-armour

The blanket octopus:  https://octonation.com/fun-facts-about-the-female-blanket-octopus/ and https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2019/07/the-blanket-octopus-looks-like-a-rainbow-ghost-alien/

 

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