Kraken - the cruious, exciting and slightly disturbing science of squid
by Williams, Wendy - 1950-
pub. Abrams Image, NY, 2011. ,     isbn 978- 081098465-3 - - LCCN 2010032489 - - Contents p. 6-7 - - black and white illusttrations amid text - - Acknowledgements p. 201-203 - - Bibliography p. 204-211 -- Videos list p.212 - - Credits p. 213 - - Index. p. 214-222 - - About the Author p. 223 -- Total 224 p.
In addition to squid, both giant and otherwise, Williams examines other cephalopods, including the octopus and cuttlefish.
Chapters -
      1. From vampire to wallflower -     Vampyroteuthis squid looks odd. has some things in common even with us. (DNA) How studying cephalopods advanced our knowledge of even human biology.

      2. A wonderful fish -     In October 1873 two men poked at somethng floating. It was a huge squid which almost pulled them out of their dory. They chopped off one tentacles, the squid fled. They took the 19 ft long tentacles ashore, destroyed one and the other became a specimin which proved that there were such animals. Their existance was not just legend.

      3. A saltwater Serengeti -     Scientist Juli Stewart and others study squid by Monterrey Bay, California

      4. Blue bloods -     Continued study of the Humbolt Squid - Satellite tracking a few of them. Experience of the teeth on the suckers on the tentacles. Their blood is blue. They use henocyanin molecule instead of hemoglobin to transfer oxygen in their blood. Study of when in geologic history these animals developed.

      5. Architeuthis on ice -     A sample of a very large and rare Squid is found. Dosidicus another giant squid is studied.

      6. Fuzzy math and tentacles -     On the Smithsonian Museum and its resources. Steve Atherton finds a huge squid on a beach in NE USA. Another dead Architeuthis is found. with work a live one is found in the Pacific Ocean. Photo taken by Japanese scientist Kubosera from a submursable. Juli in California finds that squid tentacles have control separate from the central brain of the creature.

      7. Luminous seas -     Bioluminsence squid use luiminsence produced by bacteria. Vibro bacteria used by Squid. (parallels with humans needing to acquire the bacteria needed to live) - How chromatatophore cells work - Cephalopod eyes can not see (like partially color blind) all the colors their skins can produce.

      8. Diaphanous and delicate -     Surgeons practicing on squid nerves to learn how to operate on human nervs. Woods Hole, Masachusetts.

      9. Solving Frankenstein's mystery -     More on squid nerves and how they help our understanding of human nerves.

      10. Serendipitous squid -     Understanding the axon in nerve cells - how messages are transported along nerves.

      11. Heure d'amour -     cephalopods procreation is wierd. They only do it once then die.

      12. Playdate -     Octopus plays with acquarium keeper - what does the Octopus think. Why and how they react to human beings.

      13. Fan clubs and film stars -     cephalopods in the media - Mystic, Connecticut Acquarium - Octopus intelligence - How Octopus mothers raise their progeny and then die.

      14. One lucky sucker -     The Aquarium of the Pacific. The Lucky Sucker was not at all shy (most octopus are shy) - The challenge of creating an IQ test for cephalopods, which are demonstratably intelligent. New England Acquarium had the giant Pacific octopus named Truman.

      15. Smart skin -     Cephalopod communication by way of their changing cromataphors.

      16. Curious, exciting--yet slightly disturbing -     Presentation of scientific research and acknowledgement of these strange species and how they became the beings they are.

This is a very good read, even if you are not particularly interested in cephalopods, it is good to know about them and their place among intelligent living things - without backbones - which share the Earth with us. - - - -
~2019-08-15~

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