Octopi

Shaun

If you think that the octopus in the Thing of the Day was cool, you should check out the mimic octopus. It's been known to impersonate fish, sea snakes, sponges, and various other sea critters. The cool thing is that it not only changes color, but also its behavior, depending on what its imitating.

Farragar

w00t! octopi ftw ^_^

Phantasos

Here's a decent article from a couple years back about octopusses and their intelligence. Definately an interesting read, but also kind of scary.
I mean think about it, octopusses are smart. They can use rudimentary tools. They can solve puzzles that they'd never encounter in the wild. They can observe and plan and even murder. Definaitely not a mollusc to mess with.

Phantasos

GOT-DAMN!

Just saw this video on Digg of a diver being attacked by an octopus. Not attacked like "Inked as the critter swims to safety" but more along the lines of "8 arms wrapped around your head as it pecks at your mask". If it seriously came down to an all out brawl between humans and octopusses I'm not sure we really stand a chance.

navelfluff

If it seriously came down to an all out brawl between humans and octopusses I'm not sure we really stand a chance.

Uhm, how about staying on land? If the human race really was threatened by octopi, Darwin Awards would be very, very common. ;-)

Phantasos

See, that's just the kind of In The Box thinking that is going to have us at the suckery feet of our new 8-Legged overlords. How could you have bought into their masterful delusion? Surely their "weakness on land" is but a ruse to placate us into a false sense of security. As for me, I've conquored their gastropodian cousins and am well armed.

PS-It's 4:30 in the morning. Humans are never meant to wake up this early. Damn commute!