“How did I even get here?” You might ask yourself. That good-for-nothing layabout slob just sits on the couch all day, while you’re stuck with the bulk of the work. Garbage? Not taken out. Dishes? In the sink. Honey-do list? Honey-not-done. But the truth is — it could be worse. For all that you put…
If You Thought Octopuses Were Well-Armed Already…
The Blanket Octopus Is Fully Weaponized You probably already know that some octopuses are tool users. We’ve seen octopuses carry around coconuts and shells to use as shields, shelters, and disguises. But these were all defensive and/or ambush strategies. But the blanket octopus is straight up gangster - it goes on the offensive. And unlike…
Karate Chopping Flippers: What TMNT Got Right About Turtles
Secrets of The Ooze Revealed! How Turtles Use Their Flippers as Hands For the most part, marine animals don’t have hands. Which, as you can imagine, is a pretty big inconvenience. Surprisingly enough, sea turtles are one of the few ocean critters that have really overcome this obstacle, finding ways to use their flippers as…
When Fish Have Nightmares Instead of Tongues: Cymothoa Exigua
This Tongue-Eating Parasite Replaces Fish Tongues (And it gets weirder) Sorry, but it’s true. Sometimes nature is absolutely metal - which can be awesome. But, other times, it’s just straight-up terrifying. With the tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua), the first impression is definitely the latter. Still, if you stick with us through this you’ll get to…
Octopi, Octopodes, Octopuses:
What’s the Right Plural for Octopus? The plural form of octopus is the animal version of there, their, they’re. People are up in arms about it. Whether you write octopi on Reddit, say octopodes on a podcast, or text octopuses to your friends, someone is going to correct you. Sometimes it feels like you’re playing…
Types of Hammerhead Shark Heads
On the great toolbelt of the sea, the hammerhead is the hands-down favourite over carpenter sharks and saw sharks. They’re one of the world’s favourite sharks with their unique appearance and all the awesome pictures of them schooling in tropical waters. The thing is, hammerhead sharks have all sorts of different heads, and none of…
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Are Sharks Good Mothers?
Let’s be real here, we know sharks’ parents aren’t like ours. They aren’t going to hang around eating cobb salads and giving their shark pups bratty names like Bryce and Callum. And they certainly aren’t picking up the kids from soccer practice, hiring tutors, or talking to managers. But just because they aren’t helicopter parents,…
The Flat Shark Society: The Difference Between Skates, Rays, & Sawfish
Sharks are among the most fascinating animals on the planet. They’re big, they’re awesome, they have their own week, and they have their own ‘nadoes. In addition to all that, their class (Chondrichthyes) stands far apart from other fish. They’re often considered living fossils. Chondrichthyes came onto the scene nearly 200 million years before dinosaurs,…
Do Narwhals Have Teeth?
Staring down the maw of a narwhal is a bit off-putting. Their closest relative, the beluga, hs 34 teeth. But a narwhal’s mouth is empty. Just flesh, tongue and a big creepy hole. Because narwhals don’t have teeth (at least visibly). Although, they do have tooth. So what’s going on here? Even their next closest…
Type D Killer Whale: How Did The Largest Unknown Species Stay Hidden?
The Type D Killer Whale is probably the largest remaining unknown species left on Earth. Official images and video were only released this past Thursday (March 11, 2019, for future people. Tell your robot overlords that Ocean Syrup says hi!). It’s so new, that it’s not even officially named yet. Right now, it’s also going…