Tentacritters

This is a blog for all the various aquatic animals with tentacles. This blog will post: Jellyfish (Schyphozoa/Hydrozoa) Stalked Jellies (Staurozoa) Hydra (Hydrozoa) Box Jellies/Sea Wasps (Cubozoa) Comb Jellies (Ctenophora) Anemones (Actiniaria) Some corals (Anthozoa) Squid (Teuthida/Spirulida/Sepiolida) Octopi (Octopoda)[Though technically they don't have tentacles, they're called arms] Nautili (Nautilidae) Vampire Squid (Vampiromorphida) and my all-time favourites, Cuttlefish (Sepiida). Plus perhaps the occasional Lovecraftian horror(Cthulhulides?). And no, I am not posting tentacle hentai. So if that's what you're here for, gtfo sorry to disappoint. At the moment this page is under construction, so more information will be added about each tentacritter as I find it. If you find any errors or want to add anything, message me in my ask box. We claim none of the images here, except those labelled "by strawberrysilhoutte/youngliterati". This blog is run by youngliterati and strawberrysilhouette Infobox last updated on 8.12.12 @ 18.24 EST

[pureandputrid]

[tentacritters]

Three jellyfish, possibly purple-striped jellyfish.

Chrysaora colorata

[hydrotoxicity]

[tentacritters]

Purple striped jellyfish

Chrysaora colorata

[allatnothing]

[tentacritters]

Red and white jellyfish.

Species unknown.

[ilovecephalopods]

[tentacritters]

Pair of squids

Species unknown

[tentacritters]

European Squid in deep water

Loligo vulgaris

[tentacritters]

Broadclub Cuttlefish hypnotising its prey.

Sepia latimanus

[thisisnotablogthisisart]

[tentacritters]

Pink jellyfish

Species unknown

[tentacritters]

Jellyfish, genus Catostylus

Incidentally, the venom of catostyli is harmless to humans.

[offtoosaka]

[tentacritters]

Pink upside-down jellyfish

Family Cassiopeidae

[tentacritters]

Octopus at the reef

[soupremesis]

[tentacritters]

Deep sea jellyfish, species unknown

[c0-lour]

[tentacritters]

Purple jellyfish

Species unknown

[tentacritters]

Juvenile European Squid, likely just hatched

Loligo vulgaris

[tentacritters]

Caribbean Reef Squids Mating

Sepioteuthis sepioidea

Imagine the idea of remaining celibate your entire existence right until the last day of your life where you engage in a massive orgy of sorts. Intrigueing? The carribean reef squid(Sepioteuthis sepioidea)does just that! A torpedo-shaped squid that averages in length at about 20cm, belongs to the Cephalopod family and can be found in the shallow reefs of the carribean sea in schools of 4-30. If you think this is going to be just another boring entry extolling the biological traits of this cephalopod– think again! One of the most interesting aspects about this squid is that, like other cephalopods, its is semelparous. Semelparous organisms reproduce only once in their lifetime, thus explaining the title of this entry you are reading. The crux of this entry, will thus focus on the mating ritual of the carribean reef squid.For the most part of their lifespan, the Sepioteuthis sepioidea are perfectly content having no sex at all, swimming around in schools in the day and hunting alone for food at night, consuming up to 60% of their body mass with their voracious appetites. However, this all changes as they approach the last weeks of their lifespan, and their voracious appetite for food translates into an overwhelming sex drive. During mating season, these squids are known to mate for hours at a time, and their mating ritual precedes a courtship process, which can be a very interesting sight indeed. During the courtship ritual the Sepioteuthis sepioidea change their colouration, shape and texture via nervous control of  their chromatophores. Males do this to enhance their attractiveness to the opposite sex whereas females do so to indicate their interest.

Read more->

[tentacritters]

Greater blue-ringed octopus

Hapalochlaena lunulata

These octopus use deadly toxins in their saliva to paralyse and kill their prey. It's the same venom found in blowfish, which is 10,000 times more deadly than cyanide. The victim usually falls into cardiac arrest and dies due to oxygen loss. There is no antivenom.

[vbfhtyb]

[tentacritters]

Jellyfish, genus Catostylus

Most members of this genus live exclusively in the south Pacific, off Indonesia.