The Octopus

Octopuses (sometimes called octopi) are members of a group of animals called mollusks. Mollusks have soft bodies and a mantle (a type of covering somewhat like a robe). They may have one or two shells, or none at all. The group includes clams, slugs, snails, squid, octopus, and cuttlefish among others.

Their name comes from two words, octo meaning eight, and pous meaning foot. Octopuses do not have shells. They have eight legs, each with several row of suckers.  They have a huge brain for their size and very large, well developed eyes. You can find them in every ocean. They can range in size from 1 inch to over 9 feet long!

Octopus love to eat fish, crabs, and other ocean creatures. They catch them in their arms and pull them toward their mouth which is located at the center of their many arms. They have a beak that looks a lot like a bird’s beak that can rip their prey into bite-sized pieces.

They move by squirting water through a tube called a siphon. If they get scared, they can also shoot a cloud of ink from a special ink sac. This confuses an attacker and also hides them as they make a quick get-away.  If they choose to, they can actually make their skin look the same color as the rocks and plants around them. They can even make their skin look bumpy so they can blend in even better!

Octopuses are very intelligent. They have been known to actually unscrew jars to get to tasty treats left inside. They are amazing escape artists and can survive for short periods out of water as long as they stay wet. One aquarium keeper noticed that his fish in a tank across from his octopus tank kept disappearing. He finally set up a camera and found out that his octopus was crawling out of its tank,  crawling across the floor and into the other tank. It would eat one of the fish and then sneak back to his own tank!

Octopus moms lay eggs and stay with them until they hatch. She may not even get to eat! Baby octopus are so tiny! As soon as they hatch. They go looking for something to eat. Soon they grow into big octopuses and swim away.

I have attached a couple videos and a coloring page. I hope you like our visit with octopuses!

Love Papaw.

Why Does Ice Float?

It’s really hot outside and you go into the house to get something cold to drink. You get your favorite cup and put in some ice. Then you fill it with your water favorite drink. You may not notice, but the ice is floating at the top. You might think “duh, it always does that”. But did you know ice floating is really unusual? Water is one of the few substances that expands when it freezes. Only a few rare metals can do that. 

So what’s the big deal? Well, if ice didn’t float, life would probably cease to exist on our planet. Imagine a lake where the ice sinks after it freezes. Ice actually acts like insulation and helps keep the water down below from getting colder.  Without an ice layer,  water can keep getting colder and colder and the lake would freeze all the way down. All the fish and plants would die.

In the ocean, ice that freezes on the surface is actually fresh water. If it sank, fresh water would keep sinking to the bottom and the ocean would get saltier and saltier until nothing could live in it. 

So how does ice expand? When water is a liquid, the molecules can slide past each other up close. But when it freezes, it forms a crystal structure. Imagine you have a bunch of friends over. How many can you get in your room? Probably a lot. But what if you had to join hands with your arms straight out? This is kind of like a crystal structure. Now you can’t fit as many in the same space. Density is how much matter (or friends) you can fit in a certain space. The less friends, the less you all weigh. If you weigh less but take up the same space you would be less dense and would “float” (well, if you were ice).

If this is still confusing, that’s ok. Even high school students get confused over it too. Maybe this site can help. 

https://www.thoughtco.com/why-does-ice-float-604304

Ok, now I’m thirsty. Time to go get a cold bottle of water! 

Love,

Papaw

Pismo Clams

Did you know that Pismo California used to be known as the clam capital of the world? In the 1940-50s clams were a huge part of the growth of the city of Pismo. The largest clam ever found was over 7 inches long. That’s a big clam! They now have to be at least 4 1/2 inches to take. Back then people would fill carts with large clams and make chowder or sell them to restaurants that would prepare them for tourists. Even the indigenous tribes that came to the coast ate them before California was even a state.

For a while it looked like we would run out of them. People took so many that they became hard to find. Around 2020 the populations started to increase. Now you can see lots of small to mid-sized clams. If you happen to did up an undersized one, it’s important to rebury it so that it doesn’t get washed up on shore and die. It’s an important step in keeping the population healthy. 

There is still a clam festival in Pismo every year In mid October where you can sample chowder, fried clams, and other dishes made from these mollusks. There is even a parade! Mema and I love clam chowder, especially in a bread bowl. Be sure to ask her if she would make you some when you come to visit us. (That way I can have some too!) 

Well, gotta go to the beach. Have a fun day!

Love Papaw. 

Sand Dollars

I guess I’m a little late posting this but we’ve been busy setting up our campsite. This week we are staying in Pismo California. I love Pismo Beach. If I can’t be in Hawaii, I’ll be here. Mema likes looking for shells on the beach. One of the cool things we often see washed up on the beach are sand dollars. Sand dollars are related to sea urchins. They eat plant material that settles on the bottom in the surf line area. Most of the time if you see them on the beach they are already dead or dying. When they are alive they are wedged in the same sideways.

If you let them dry in the sun they turn white and make a pretty decoration. Mema has a bathroom that is all decorated in shell that sh has found over the years. 

She had several sand dollars I it too. It reminds her of the beach. Well that’s all for today. Hope you liked the pictures of sand dollars. Have fun, be good, and do something nice for someone today!  

Love, Papaw. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_dollar