Cephalopods - Science topic

The commercial importance of cephalopods has increased considerably, being an important fishing resource. However, during the preparation for commercialization of those species, they suffer the process known as “finning” which includes removing and separating the head, arm, skin or even having the body structure cut into rings, which ends up making...

The feeding habits of the invasive alien devil firefish (Pterois miles) and the indigenous scorpaenids Scorpaena porcus, Scorpaena scrofa, and Scorpaena notata in the eastern Mediterranean Sea were investigated based on stomach content analysis. Furthermore, we examined whether these confamiliar species feed upon similar prey. Specimens were captur...

The ethical debate on the moral consideration of non-human animals (hereafter animals) is currently centred on the evidence of sentience in these individuals. Legal protection for vertebrates and cephalopods (and decapods in the UK) has resulted from the recognition of sentience in these animals. Although one should celebrate the significant advanc...

This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution, feeding ecology, and trophic dynamics of the marine fish species brown croaker (Miichthys miiuy) in the southwestern sea of Korea. As a top predator, M. miiuy primarily consumes small fish, especially anchovies and Larimichthys polyactis, with peak catch rates occurring in autumn. Stomach con...

Anthropogenic activities, such as the introduction of non-native aquaculture species, have significantly altered trophic interactions in marine ecosystems. The hybrid grouper (TGGG), an aquaculture product originating from an artificial F1 crossbreed between Epinephelus fuscoguttatus and E. lanceolatus, has been released into the wild through relig...

Decapod crustaceans, commonly utilised for pure or applied scientific research and commercial food production, have generally remained outside ethical debate. However, in the last decade many parts of the world have seen an increase in public interest in the welfare of decapod crustaceans and statutory legal protection has been introduced in severa...

Reflectins are unique cephalopod proteins found in specialized cells. They form fast triggerable nanostructures in vivo that play a crucial role in light reflection and camouflage. We investigated the rapid kinetics of in vitro reversible self-assembly of two recombinant reflectin sequences (R1b and R6) using pH variations as a trigger. By employin...

Needle-based injections currently enable the administration of a wide range of biomacromolecule therapies across the body, including the gastrointestinal tract1, 2–3, through recent developments in ingestible robotic devices4, 5, 6–7. However, needles generally require training, sharps management and disposal, and pose challenges for autonomous ing...

Understanding the dynamic spatial distribution and characteristics of fishing activities is crucial for fisheries management and sustainable development. In recent years, small pelagic fish and cephalopods in the Arabian Sea have become new targets for light purse seine fishing; however, there is a lack of publicly available reports. This study use...

Cephalopods have dominated the oceans for hundreds of millions of years and are unquestionably at the peak of molluscan evolution. The development of the large brain and a well-sophisticated sensory system contributed significantly to its success. Therefore, it is considered the best example of convergent evolution and attracted the attention of sc...

This is the first photo-illustrated identification guide for the 13 most common cephalopods in the Skagerrak, Kattegat, the Sound and southwestern Baltic Sea. We provide short concise species descriptions in combination with 75 full images and detailed images of species-specific characteristics as well as photos of eye tumours with 59 % prevalence....

Scientists and philosophers have long struggled with the question of whether non-human animals experience emotions or consciousness. Yet, it is unclear where the scientific consensus on these topics lies today. To address this gap, we administered a survey of professional animal behaviour researchers to assess perceptions regarding (i) the taxonomi...

Meropelagic octopuses hatch as planktonic paralarvae, being the subject of progressive morphological and behavioural changes ending with settlement on the seafloor as juveniles. The comparative morphological study of digestive systems can help to understand the adaptation to particular niches during this challenging plankton-benthos transition. Her...

Based on the concept of same structure but different laws, we propose two driving modes, maneuvering and cruising, using multiple tentacles of cephalopods as biomimetic prototypes. These two modes are distinguished by transient or continuous kinematic laws and can achieve self-steering behaviors with different features. The computational evolution...

Understanding population structure is a priority for evaluating population dynamics of commercially fished cephalopods under fishing pressure and environmental changes. This study employed a multidisciplinary approach to clarify the population structure of Loliolus (Nipponololigo) uyii, a common squid in inshore fisheries. Sampling was conducted mu...

Cephalopods play a central ecological role across all oceans and realms. However, under the current climate crisis, their physiology and behaviour are impacted, and we are beginning to comprehend the effects of environmental stressors at a molecular level. Here, we study the Hawaiian bobtail squid ( Euprymna scolopes ), known for its specific binar...

In nature, dynamic camouflage is performed by cephalopods and reptiles. Humans attempt to perform dynamic camouflage by employing display devices to show the surrounding background. In this work, a switchable camouflage device based on an electrophoretic display (EPD) is proposed. Color‐filter EPDs display colors by reflecting light through the col...

The paper is dedicated to the 2000-year anniversary of Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder). It contains biographical information about this Roman scientist and a short overview of the information he left about modern and fossil cephalopods, inform his Naturalis historia.

The oldest, Frasnian (Late Devonian), predator-prey pair of cephalopods is discovered. These are two tiny longicones with a jaw between them. The jaw protrudes from the ribbed longicone and lies in the damage hole of the smooth longicone. The longicones have a long body chamber and a phragmocone. They are similar to modern Spirula and Sepia in havi...

Turning is an important aspect of life underwater, playing integral roles in predator avoidance, prey capture, and communication. While turning abilities have been explored in a diversity of adult nekton, little is currently known about turning in early ontogeny, especially for cephalopods. In this study, we investigated the turning abilities of ha...

In order to collect information on fishes and benthopelagic fauna of a deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystem (VME) network along the Apulian margin (central Mediterranean Sea), two low-impact sampling tools were used in three VMEs characterized by cold-water corals (CWC), namely Bari Canyon (BC), off Monopoli (Mn), and off Santa Maria di Leuca (SML)...

Ommatins, natural colorants found in cephalopods and arthropods, are biosynthesized from tryptophan with uncyclized xanthommatin (Uc-Xa) as the key biosynthetic precursor. These pigments change color under oxidative or reductive conditions. Xanthommatin (Xa) and dihydro-xanthommatin (H2-Xa), as well as decarboxylated xanthommatin (Dc-Xa) and decarb...

The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, is the least explored and understood. This lack of knowledge hampers our ability to understand and protect this important environment. In this study, water and sediment samples were collected at different depths in the central Mediterranean (224-780 m), specifically, within the Dohrn Canyon and the Palinuro...

Direct ink writing (DIW) of core‐shell structures allows for patterning hollow or composite structures for shape morphing and color displays. Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) with liquid crystal mesogens assembled in a helix superstructure are attractive for generating tunable iridescent structural colors. Here, by fine‐tuning the rheo...

In order to conformity of the sedimentary environment and biological fauna of Late Triassic deposits in each of blocks of the Central Iran, including Lut, Tabas, Posht badam and Yazd blocks, as well as to study the tectonics of the region, were selected sever sections in these blocks, including one section It was studied in the south of Posht badam...

Aquaculture, fueled partly by claims of supporting food security, is experiencing unprecedented growth. Framing aquaculture as a monolith, however, overlooks its extreme taxonomic diversity. This paper assesses the welfare risks associated with that diversity, establishing seven species-level risk factors from involved parental care to long lifespa...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have potential against antimicrobial resistance and serve as templates for novel therapeutic agents. While most AMP databases focus on terrestrial eukaryotes, marine cephalopods represent a promising yet underexplored source. This study reveals the putative reservoir of AMPs encrypted within the proteomes of cephalopod...

Cephalopods use stretchy skin and dynamic color‐tuning organs for visual communication and camouflage. Inspired by these natural mechanisms, a fluorescent biomaterial for deformation‐induced illumination and optical communication is proposed. This is the first report of 3D printed soft biomaterials infused with carbon dots hydrothermally derived fr...

Judgement bias tasks (JBTs) are used to assess the emotional state and welfare of animals in zoos, farms and laboratories, based on the interpretation of an ambiguous or intermediate cue. Animals in positive affective states are more likely to interpret the ambiguous cue positively, whereas animals experiencing negative affect are more likely to in...

Many benthic deep‐sea animals rely on carcasses from the overlying water column that sink to the seafloor and form local organic enrichments known as food falls. This flux of organic carbon from the shallow pelagic to the deep sea is part of the biological carbon pump (BCP) and as such contributes to carbon sequestration. For a complete understandi...

Benthic octopuses are well known generalist predators but the predatory behavior of juveniles is poorly understood. This study investigated prey choice by juvenile Amphioctopus fangsiao, a holobenthic species. Juveniles aged 0 to 50 d after hatching (0.1–5.2 g wet weight) were simultaneously offered seven individuals of each of three types of prey...

The study of the spatial distribution of Octopus vulgaris in the southern Atlantic waters of Morocco was carried out by analyzing the distribution maps developed using the geographical information system (GIS) and statistical analysis of bathymetry yields. Analyses of the data collected during our boarding aboard a cephalopod freezer trawler (C.F.T...

En el presente trabajo de tesis doctoral llevada a cabo a lo largo de varios años se recopilan diferentes estudios que engloban aspectos clave de la biología y ecología del marrajo azul, Isurus oxyrinchus. Los hábitos alimentarios analizados en dos grandes cuencas oceánicas indicaron que los peces y los cefalópodos pelágicos fueron las presas mayor...

Protein- and peptide-based proton-conducting biomaterials have been touted as particularly promising for bioelectronics applications because of their advantageous chemical and physical characteristics, typically excellent biocompatibilities, and readily understood electrical properties. Within this context, our laboratory has previously discovered...

The modern system of high-quality nutrition for the population includes the use of natural compounds from secondary products of animal origin. In the course of scientific substantiation of using secondary products from the processing of cephalopods, dried products from the skin of Pacific (Todarodes pacificus) and Commander squid (Berryteuthis magi...

Cephalopods are widely regarded as healthy and nutritionally rich seafood resources. This study focuses on analysing the nutritional composition of six commercially important edible cephalopod species viz., Cistopus indicus, Amphioctopus marginatus, Amphioctopus aegina, Sepia pharaonis, Sepia elliptica and Sepia aculeata, from the Malabar coast of...

Ecological theory predicts fluctuations, such as oscillations and instabilities, in populations whose dynamics can be represented by discrete-time surplus production models, whenever the intrinsic rate of population growth (r) is too high. Many fished stocks may have sufficiently high r to undergo fluctuations under fishing. The maximum sustainable...

Background The mislabeling of seafood, wherein a food product’s marketed name does not match its contents, has the potential to mask species of conservation concern. Less discussed is the role of legally ambiguous market names, wherein a single name could be used to sell multiple species. Here we report the first study in Canada to examine mislabel...

In response to the limitations of the single‐chamber water jet thruster used in underwater vehicles mimicked by natural cephalopods, a novel approach involving a double‐chamber water jet thruster has been proposed. This thruster utilizes electromagnetic force to manipulate the diaphragm, thereby altering the volume of the upper and lower chambers t...

Climate change is having important effects on the migration routes and seasonal–spatial distribution patterns of aquatic animals, including the cephalopods Sepiella maindroni de Rochebrune (Hoyle, 1886) and Sepia kobiensis (Hoyle, 1885) in the East China Sea region. We conducted bottom trawling surveys from 2018 to 2019 in the East China Sea region...

Cameral deposits are enigmatic calcareous structures within the chambers of orthoceratoid cepha-lopods that were thought to be part of the living animal as far back as the mid-19th century. While the function of the deposits has been attributed to counterbalancing the straight cephalopod shells into a horizontal position, their formation cycle has...

The Jurassic represents one of the main transitional periods for life. Recent studies unveiled a complex scenario in which abiotic and biotic factors, and drivers on regional and global scales due to the fragmentation of Pangaea, resulted in dramatic faunal and ecological turnovers, in terrestrial and marine environments. However, elasmobranch faun...

Episodic memory involves the conscious recollection of personally experienced events and when absent, results in profound losses to the typical human conscious experience. Over the last 2.5 decades, the debate surrounding whether episodic memory is unique to humans has seen a lot of controversy and accordingly has received significant research atte...

Uruguayan ammonoids are preserved in phosphate and siderite nodules found at the basalmost tillite-like conglomerates of the San Gregorio Formation. This lithostratigraphic unit was deposited under glacial conditions and its age (as well as that of the nodules) has been highly debated because glaciations were intermittent in Gondwana during the Lat...

Cephalopod skins evolve multiple functions in response to environmental adaptation, encompassing nonlinear mechanoreponse, damage tolerance property, and resistance to seawater. Despite tremendous progress in skin‐mimicking materials, the integration of these desirable properties into a single material system remains an ongoing challenge. Here, dra...

The common long-arm octopus ( Octopus minor ) is a commercially important aquaculture species in East Asia, and the male octopus grows faster than the female ones, while the information about sex-regulating mechanisms in octopuses is limited. Therefore, gonadal transcriptome sequencing was performed in O. minor to reveal the molecular mechanisms of...

In recent years, the volume of accessible marine pelagic observations has increased exponentially and now incorporates a wealth of new data types, including information derived from metagenomics and quantitative imaging. This calls for standardized modelling protocol across taxonomically harmonized observations, to better predict biogeographic patt...

The octopus, a highly intelligent cephalopod, utilizes a remarkable combination of sensory inputs to navigate its complex underwater environment. This article explores the role of environmental feedback in octopus communication and cognition, highlighting how these creatures integrate sensory information from their surroundings to inform behavior a...

Cephalopods are growing in commercial importance due to their unique biological characteristics; however, uncertainty about the pressure facing cephalopod fisheries poses a challenge to the health of fisheries and to policy development. Therefore, identifying and quantifying the dynamics of the sustainability of global cephalopod fisheries becomes...

To date, soft-tissue remains of extinct incirrate octopods have been described exclusively from Upper Cretaceous deposits. Here, three specimens of an incirrate octopodid with well-preserved soft tissue imprints are described for the first time from Paleogene strata. This material originates from the upper Ypresian (lower Eocene) fish-bearing level...

A peculiar cephalopod slab collected in Western Sahara hosts almost monospecific cephalopod and conodont associations, preliminarily attributed to the Ludfordian based on the occurrence of Wurmiella sp. A Corriga et al., 2021. Arionoceras submoniliforme (Meneghini, 1857) dominates the nautiloid fauna that reveals a clear bimodal orientation. The mi...

The intersection of marine biology and artificial intelligence (AI) provides a rich field of study, particularly in understanding the vision-language interactions of octopuses. These intelligent cephalopods possess unique capabilities for processing visual information and communicating through complex behavioral signals. This article explores how i...

The cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis species complex is emerging as a promising set of organisms for research in neuroscience, the behavioral sciences, and commercial aquaculture. At the same time, information about pathogens and diseases that could affect cuttlefish cultivation in intensive aquaculture settings remains limited. Our study has identified...

This work presents an integrated overview of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons’ (PAHs) ubiquity comprising environmental contamination in the air, aquatic ecosystems, and soils; characterizes the contamination in biota; and identifies main biomonitors and human exposure to PAHs and associated health risks. Urban centers and industrial areas present...

Play is considered to be an essential part of development that supports learning, memory, and the development of flexible behavioral strategies. An increasing amount of non-mammalian species have been discovered to engage in play behavior, but there has been little research into play behavior in cephalopods specifically. Here we studied play behavi...

Among marine creatures including squids, cephalopods and Octopus, one of the most unique features is production of ink which is an extremely valuable source of pharmaceuticals. The current study investigates the ink produced from Octopus vulgaris chemically as well as its potential antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-schistosomal activ...

The eyes of squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish are a textbook example for evolutionary convergence, due to their striking similarity to those of vertebrates. For this reason, studies on cephalopod photoreception and vision are of importance for a broader audience. Previous studies showed that genes such as pax6 , or certain opsin‐encoding genes, are...

A small Visean cephalopod faunule from the Dnipro-Donets Depression (NE Ukraine) consisting of the nautiloids Brachycycloceras scalare, Br. cf. normale, ?Phacoceras sp., Catastroboceras sp., and the ammonoid Anthracoceras sp. is described. The surfaces of some cephalopod conchs examined bear the trace fossils Cyclopuncta girtyi and Talpina isp., as...

Background. As the demand for Octopus maya grows, sustainable farming practices become essential to prevent overexploitation. Thus, its farming development can be a sustainable alternative to traditional fishing. Understanding the digestive dynamics is essential for devising optimal dietary formulations in aquaculture, particularly the role of enzy...

The English Channel has the highest long-finned squid landings in the Northeast Atlantic, making squid one of the most valuable resources exploited by demersal fisheries operating in this area. This resource consists of two short-lived long-finned squid species: Loligo forbesii and L. vulgaris, which have a similar appearance (they are not distingu...

Background Several studies have been reported previously on the bioactivities of different extracts of marine molluscs. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of S. pharaonis ink as a highly populated species in the Red Sea. We extracted the flavonoids from the ink and analyzed their composition. Then we evalua...

Cephalopods can change their skin color by using high‐speed electron transduction among receptors, neural networks, and pigmentary effectors. However, it remains challenging to realize a neuroelectrical transmission system like that found in cephalopods, where electrons/ions transmit on nanoscale, which is crucial for fast adaptive electrochromic t...

Indonesia has high biodiversity and it has the opportunity to expand as fisheries business in the international commodity market. The research aims to analyze the diversity of mollusk species, map the distribution, and analyze the sustainability of these commodities in the Indonesian export and import markets. The research conducted at the Jakarta...

Microbial communities play a crucial role in the physiology of animal hosts; however, little is known about bacterial symbionts with the group cephalopods, specifically octopuses, and the function of these symbionts. The goal of this study was to determine if octopuses have a unique skin microbiome. The skin microbiome of two sympatric octopuses (O...

Competition for resources may have strong impacts on species’ survival, potentially playing an important role in defining species’ distribution patterns and abundances. Competing species might co-occur in large spatial scales (e.g., within the Gulf of Alaska), but avoid each other at finer spatial or temporal scales by consuming resources at differ...