SQUID [Security Questions: Unidentified Intrusions & Disappearances] is a commemorative launching during the 500th Anniversary of Thomas More’s publication of Utopia. This rather outlandish caricature, like Thomas More’s little book, has a serious message. William Gilly, professor of cell and developmental biology at Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, has studied the intelligence of squid and shown that newborn squid learn through a process of trial and error, much as humans do, and that early-life experiences can physically change a squid’s nervous system in ways that may be permanent. Squid is an ideal species for conducting neurological research, because its elaborate brain is connected to a set of giant axons – the largest nerve cells in the animal kingdom.
Squid swarm in schools, as do many other animals. Here a swarm is captured by photographer Jon Schwartz.
squid underwater photo by Jon Schwartz copyright 2011
Former Chief Scientist of NOAA (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency) Dr. Sylvia Earle noted that she is often asked why she cares so much about the ocean. Her response: “Because the ocean is the cornerstone of earth’s life support system, it shapes climate and weather. It holds most of life on earth. 97% of earth’s water is there. It’s the blue heart of the planet – we should take care of our heart. It’s what makes life possible for us.”
A relative of squid and slugs, cuttlefish are called “chameleons of the sea” because they can change their skin color and texture to confuse their prey or hide from predators. Cuttlefish have a complex nervous system and chromatophores to change the colors and patterns on their body for courtship rituals, when they eat something, or for camouflage when they want to blend in.
Duke University biologist Sarah Zylinski has studied how, when cuttlefish see incomplete shapes, such as a partial circle, they fill in the visual blanks, as humans do. But now, as with many other creatures on land and squid, January 2016 saw a massive wash-up of dead giant squid off the coast of Chile.
The massive die-off of Giant Squid in Chile has caused alarm.
Below is an almost human caricature from NASA of these very smart creatures.
