About
Cephalopods are marine molluscs that belong to the Cephalopoda class, which includes octopuses, squids, cuttlefishes, nautiluses and the extinct ammonites. They are well-known for their exceptional intelligence in comparison to other marine invertebrate animals, distinctive arms and tentacles often covered with rows of circular suckers, as well as their ability to squirt ink and change color using chromatophore skin cells.
Online History
In 1995, marine biologist James B. Wood created The Cephalopod Page[4] as a site for cephalopod-related news and information. In 1998, Wood[2] launched the Cephbase[3] online database to collect information about living species of the marine creatures. In December 1999, the website Tonmo[1] was created, which features news articles, discussion forums and a media gallery dedicated to cephalopods. On March 12th, 2006, YouTuber Ashlee9685 uploaded marine biologist Roger Hanlon’s footage of an octopus camouflaging itself against a coral (shown below, left). In nine years, the video received more than 1.4 million views and 1,000 comments. On May 18th, 2007, the National Geographic YouTube channel uploaded footage of a giant Pacific octopus killing a shark, gaining over 6.5 million views and 6,200 comments in the next eight years (shown below, right). On October 31st, 2008, the /r/Cephalpods[10] subreddit was launched. On April 28th, 2009, the “Fuck Yeah Cephalopods” Tumblr[5] blog was created, which highlights notable images and videos of the marine animals. .
On April 15th, 2010, YouTuber Victor’s Videos uploaded footage of an octopus stealing his underwater camera and swimming away with it while it is still recording (shown below, left). On November 7th, YouTuber Capo2u posted a video of an octopus escaping a boat through a three inch opening (shown below, right). Within five years, the videos received more than 6.5 million and 10 million views respectively.
On May 16th, 2011, YouTuber rawkfish posted a video of a large octopus caught by fisherman in a kayak (shown below, left), which garnered upwards of 43 million views and 19,000 comments in four years. On October 8th, 2011, the first “Cephalopod Awareness Days”[6] was held, which celebrates members of a Cephalopoda class each year from October 8th to the 12th. On January 8th, 2013, ABC News posted a video featuring the first recorded footage of a live giant squid (shown below, right).
On October 30th, YouTuber Ze Frank posted a video titled "True Facts About the Cuttlefish (shown below, left). On April 1st, 2014, Ze Frank uploaded a video titled “True Facts About the Octopus” (shown below, right). Within two years, the videos gained over six million views each.
Related Memes
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional monster created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft that is often depicted as a large cephalopod-like creature with a tentacled mouth, large wings, clawed hands and scaly skin.
Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus was a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) that lived at the Aquarium Sea Life Centre[1] in Oberhausen, Germany, best known for successfully predicting the outcomes of Germany’s 2010 World Cup matches. In a divination, Paul would “predict” which team would win a match by choosing to eat a mussel out of one of two boxes marked with the flag of each team.
Octodad
Octodad is a third-person adventure video game series in which the player assumes the role of an octopus posing as the father of a nuclear human family. The game features frustrating controls that make it difficult to interact with the environment, in a similar vein to the Flash game QWOP.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Tonmo – Tonmo – The Octopus New Magazine
[2]The Cephalopod Page – James B Wood
[4]The Cephalopod Page – The Cephalopod Page
[5]Tumblr – Fuck Yeah Cephalpods
[6]Tumblr – Cephalopod Days
[7]Tumblr – Fuck Yeah Squid
[8]Tumblr – The Amazing Cephalopoda Class
[9]Tumblr – Cephalopods Gone Wild
[10]Reddit – /r/Cephalopods