Octopus Smarts: take the coconut and run

Here's a piece of light-hearted news that my brother alerted me to from the BBC. Off Northern Sulawesi and Bali, some of the underwater landscape is just silty sand (some divers refer to investigating this terrain as muck diving). For creatures like the octopus, this is a difficult world to find a suitable hiding place.

But Dr. Julian Finn of the Australia's Museum Victoria, has been able to document the ingenious behavior of these eight-armed mollusks. Dr. Finn reported - and captured on video - several octopi not only using discarded coconut shells as safe habitats - but portable ones at that. The octopus would climb aboard the empty shell and then stiffen it's legs and literally walk across the sea floor with its new-found home in tow.

It's hard to describe but hilarious to watch. Click the image below to link to the BBC online article and video.
The interesting thing, from a scientific point of view, is how this demonstrates a rudimentary use of tools. It's one thing to find adequate shelter regardless of what it is - a crevice in the reef, a discarded tin can, whatever - but it's a whole different thing when the animal realizes the object's importance and devises a means to take it along and use when needed.

As aquariums have often discovered, the octopus is very curious and capable of investigating its surroundings and finding ways to escape. Here's another example to prove they're smarter than your average cephalopod!

Coral Reefs: usage zones to be set up in Nusa Pineda

Always nice to hear about measures being taken to protect coral reefs. Some people feel we have bigger fish to fry when it comes to marine issues, but coral reefs are extremely important to the health of the entire oceanic ecosystem. Just because you may not have coral reefs in your backyard, doesn't mean they have less impact.

The Coral Reef Alliance reported that in Nusa Pineda, near Bali, steps are being taken to establish various coral reef zones that will determine their use for activities like fishing and diving or snorkeling. It was recognized that the health of the reef impacts its value as a tourist destination. And the dollars brought in by tourism can offset or compensate loses in fishing or other aquatic farming activities.

Marthen Welly of The Nature Conservancy-Coral Triangle Center explained that what was proposed was three zones, namely the central, the utilization and the marine tourism zones, in the marine conservation area plan.

The central zone will cover areas that have the most breathtaking underwater view and are often visited by the world-famous Mola-mola fish and other types of marine life, including the manta ray and sperm whale. The utilization zone comprises offshore areas that can be utilized for seaweed farming and fishing; while the marine tourism zone, which also includes the central zone, can be used for water sports activities.

“Separating the zones is important because the activities in the islets are not well-managed now. People can plant seaweed anywhere, or fish in the snorkeling and diving spots,” Marthen said.

Balancing the interests of local fishermen or farmers with the economic benefits of tourism is an important goal for many tropical reef locales. Let's hope that was has been proposed for Nusa Pineda is successful and acts as an example to others. (Read article from The Jakarta Post.)

A News Year's resolution for 2008

On 01/01/08, RTSea wrote: First, let me wish you all a meaningful New Year - one full of optimism and progress for future generations! That being said, we all have our work cut out for us. In the U.S., it will be a year full of important political decisions. Our nation's poor performance and lack of foresight at the recent environment/global warming conference in Bali means we need to find new leaders with the fortitude to make the important decisions that need to be made if there is to be any hope in stemming the tide of global warming. And we need to not let up in our efforts to protect threatened marine species worldwide. Those are New Year's resolutions we can't afford to break.