Thursday, May 3, 2007

Pikachu vs. Grimpoteuthis

"Non, ce n'est pas un Pokemon que voila, mais un authentique octopode du genre Grimpoteuthis," we read at the French blog Les fabuleuses Pieuvres de l'Espace. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis -- particularly the specimen whose photo appears in a new book, "The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss," which features deep sea monsters photographed using robots capable of diving three miles -- looks like Pikachu.

Alas, I believe that humankind knows less about the Grimpoteuthis than we do about Pikachu. According to Wikipedia, for example:

Pikachu often forage for berries. Instead of climbing trees, they use small electrical bolts to release the berries from the tree, roasting them at the same time. They store electricity in their cheeks, and discharge them in sparks, bolts or other forms of electricity. An inability to discharge electricity in this last way, as in the presence of strong magnetic field, causes an illness with flu-like symptoms. Pikachu gather in areas with high amounts of thunderstorm activity such as power stations. Pikachu evolve into Raichu via use of a Thunder Stone. However, it is somewhat common for Trainers to choose not to evolve their Pikachu into Raichu.

Etcetera! But the humble Grimpoteuthis does have its fans. A German website sells the following excellent T-shirt.

UPDATE: Thanks for the traffic, Boing Boing. Also: "The Deep," the book in which the Grimpotheusis photo appears, has its own, very cool website. There are many more great photos on the website; and there are hundreds more photos in the book!

UPDATE: What do Brainiac readers think of this blog post? Find out here.

Posted by Joshua Glenn at 11:00 AM

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