Death from below

April 30th, 2012 by PZ Myers

You may recall that tantalizing photo of an octopus eating a seagull that I posted last month: now the whole series and the story behind them is online.

Posted in Cephalopods | 13 comments

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13 comments on this post.

  1. Glen Davidson:

    April 30th, 2012 at 9:50 am

    What were the odds that the bird would be gulled?

    Glen Davidson

  2. Brownian:

    April 30th, 2012 at 9:52 am

    Is this a menu thing now? Seagull-stuffed octopus? Soctopus, like turducken? Why the hell is turducken in my autocorrect list?

  3. johnscanlon:

    April 30th, 2012 at 10:06 am

    Turducken?

    Ken Ham stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turd?

  4. Brownian:

    April 30th, 2012 at 10:23 am

    I know, gross right?

    Apparently it’s some sort of a thing, though.

  5. Rev. BigDumbChimp:

    April 30th, 2012 at 10:30 am

    Ken Ham stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turd?

    The only things Ken Ham likes to be stuff in are piglets.

  6. Caine, Fleur du mal, OM:

    April 30th, 2012 at 10:32 am

    Fantastic shots. I will forever be jealous.

  7. Trebuchet:

    April 30th, 2012 at 11:02 am

    I’ve walked that breakwater. Must keep my eyes peeled next time.

  8. neal:

    April 30th, 2012 at 11:20 am

    To commemorate witnessing and photographing this amazing event, Ginger, Ken and Lou went out for a calamari lunch.

    Eww.

  9. David Utidjian:

    April 30th, 2012 at 11:38 am

    So… would the octopus eat the gull whole? Feathers and all? or just peck away at the bird with its little beak?

    Either way it must be a good catch for the octopus (lots of protein) until the all the other opportunists show up.

  10. Francisco Bacopa:

    April 30th, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    I think it’s a juvenile. Fledged and flying, but not yet mature. I don’t know about every species of gull, but the three that live around here have more brown on their wings when they are young. Adults have almost pure white wings.

    So maybe this was a youngster. Maybe most seagulls figure out how to not get eaten by an octopus as they grow up.

  11. pedantik:

    April 30th, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Alas, I had hoped that this was actually a gull evolving into an octopus in front of a camera. Next you’ll be telling us there is no crocoduck either.

  12. stubby:

    April 30th, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    “To commemorate witnessing and photographing this amazing event, Ginger, Ken and Lou went out for a calamari lunch.”

    It’s nice to read a story that has a happy ending.

  13. Menyambal: Making sambal isn't exactly dragon magic.:

    May 1st, 2012 at 2:25 am

    Thanks for posting this, PZ. I enjoyed the first round, and was hoping for follow-up. :)