2025 Life Logs, Day 38: The Octopus
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Windy; Temp 42, Low 24 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Today, worked on my Voyage of Windbird presentation for next Wednesday, completed the seashell puzzle I have been working on, and tonight, with friend Judy Fenwick, I attended the Falmouth Forum at the Marine Biological Lab (MBL) in Woods Hole. The speaker was Roger Hanlon, one of MBL’s own Senior Scientists. The topic was about one of my very favorite creatures on this earth. The title of the presentation was, “The Octopus as Tech: Exploring the Science, Art, and Technological Potential of Nature’s Most Spectacular Color Change Artist” and it was a fascinating talk.
My only up-close and personal encounter with an octopus was a snorkeling afternoon in Madagascar. Mark and I had been snorkeling for well over an hour when we spotted a crimson-colored octopus just hanging out. But as soon as she sensed our presence, she started her color changing act. We watched as she climbed up the coral, disappeared into a hole, reappeared on the other side, constantly changing color and texture, and finally climbing down into the sand where we could hardly see her as she seemed to melt into the sand. Since that afternoon, I have been fascinated with the octopus and tonight I learned so much about this brilliant creature.
