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Loading... Octopus, Squid, and Cuttlefish: A Visual, Scientific Guide to the Oceans’ Most Advanced Invertebratesby Roger Hanlon
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"Largely shell-less relatives of clams and snails, the marine mollusks in the class Cephalopoda--Greek for head-foot --are colorful creatures of many-armed dexterity, often inky self-defense, and highly evolved cognition. They are capable of learning, of retaining information--and of rapid decision-making to avoid predators and find prey. They have eyes and senses rivaling those of vertebrates like birds and fishes, they morph texture and body shape, and they change color faster than a chameleon. In short, they captivate us. From the long-armed mimic octopus--able to imitate the appearance of swimming flounders and soles--to the aptly named flamboyant cuttlefish, whose undulating waves of color rival the graphic displays of any LCD screen, there are more than seven hundred species of cephalopod. Featuring a selection of species profiles, Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish reveals the evolution, anatomy, life history, behaviors, and relationships of these spellbinding animals. Their existence proves that intelligence can develop in very different ways: not only are cephalopods unusually large-brained invertebrates, they also carry two-thirds of their neurons in their arms. A treasure trove of scientific fact and visual explanation, this worldwide illustrated guide to cephalopods offers a comprehensive review of these fascinating and mysterious underwater invertebrates--from the lone hunting of the octopus, to the social squid, and the prismatic skin signaling of the cuttlefish." --Publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
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Octopus, Squid, and Cuttlefish is like a more approachable version of [b:Octopus: The Ocean's Intelligent Invertebrate|7367893|Octopus The Ocean's Intelligent Invertebrate|Jennifer A. Mather|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404579959s/7367893.jpg|9175590] with considerably more pictures and slightly less technicality. Unlike Octopus, the plethora of photographs keeps this from getting too dry, though the authors do note that many of the marvelous skin/chromatophore/idiophore changes are best seen in motion i.e. film. All three authors are researchers in the field (I've seen their work mentioned on cephalopod things over the years), and take care to mention when some conclusions aren't fully accepted by the community (for example, whether or not octopus 'play')
The book is divided into chapters by broad topic: Phylogeny & Evolution of cephalopods; Lifestyles including reproduction, development, movement, and biome; Behavior, Cognition & Intelligence on some of the ways we evaluate how smart they are; and Cephalopods & Humans on our interactions (fisheries, biomedical, inspiration). At the end of each chapter there are 6-9 profiles on different cephalopods, and it's a nice variety between octopods, squids, nautiluses, cuttlefish, and the sepiiids (as well as the Vampire, alone in its family group). ( )