Gloomy octopuses—also known as common Sydney octopuses, or octopus tetricus—have long had a reputation for being loners. Marine biologists once thought they inhabited the subtropical waters off eastern Australia and northern New Zealand in solitude, meeting only to mate, once a year. But now there's proof these cephalopods sometimes hang out in small cities.
In Jervis Bay, off Eastern Australia, researchers recently spotted 15 gloomy octopuses congregating, communicating, dwelling together, and even evicting each other from dens at a site the scientists named "Octlantis." The international team of marine biologists, led by professor David Scheel of Alaska Pacific University, filmed these creatures exhibiting complex social behaviors that contradict the received wisdom that these cephalopods are loners. Their study was published in the journal Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology (paywall).
The discovery was a surprise, Scheel told Quartz. "These behaviors are the product of natural selection, and may be remarkably similar to vertebrate complex social behavior. This suggests that when the right conditions occur, evolution may produce very similar outcomes in diverse groups of organisms."
Octopus cities suck.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @01:37PM (2 children)
Aw yeah. We Dick Niggers.
Yeah hell no we ain't never fuckin no old pussy.
Heh heh yeah we fuck a lotta young pussy.
Damn, don worry, there be more than enuf of us Dick Niggers to fit these thick nigger dick into all eight o yo octopussies.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @01:50PM (1 child)
I'm not sure. What will you do if this is Gaia attempting to cleanse itself of the infection called man? Do you have a plan to thwart the giant sea snails as well?
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by c0lo on Tuesday September 19 2017, @03:38PM
Dick Niggers are a manifestation of the giant sea snail, in their effort to cleanse old Gaia.
Remember? It is the giant sea snail that has the plan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday September 19 2017, @02:12PM
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
I mean, that's about where it is, and he's enough like an octopus that I'm sure he'd pick up some octopus cultists.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Megahard on Tuesday September 19 2017, @02:40PM (3 children)
Maybe they wouldn't be so gloomy if they added the garden.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday September 19 2017, @03:44PM
Your fault, If you'd visit them in a yellow submarine (instead of a drab neoprene drysuit) they'd sure be more cheerful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @05:51PM
There should be a shrubbery as well, so that there's a two-level effect.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 20 2017, @12:16PM
In the tropics, lacking shade.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Tuesday September 19 2017, @05:16PM
They're following Occultopus.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @08:02PM (2 children)
"Octopus cities suck."
well that's callous. i know you're just making a joke but i don't think we as a species have any business being flippant about the beautiful creatures that we are murdering en masse all over the world.
i would live down there, assuming i had a mermaid wife. screw the surface world. that's all i'm saying.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @08:47PM (1 child)
If was living down there with a mermaid wife, I would screw her, not the surface world.
I guess the kelp is always greener...
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday September 20 2017, @01:21AM
No, no you wouldn't. [wikia.com]
(Score: 3, Funny) by fyngyrz on Wednesday September 20 2017, @06:09AM
You'd better watch it, sparky. That could easily be taken as a call to arms. A lot of arms.