A small greeting.

[suqish]

Hi! Uhm..

I hope whoever is reading this is having a good morning, afternoon, or night! I'm just a random Floridian teenager who loves cephalopods, originally stemming from my interest in the Nautilus which grew into me becoming fond of octopi as well.

Originally I just enjoyed wonky-looking creatures, but then I started researching the philosophy of the octopus, how smart they are, and how they have personalities and can show affection- How do I even describe it- I was just completely blown away. During all my research, the whole time I only had one thought on my mind: "How can these things act more human than like 90% of the creatures on this plant despite being on the opposite end of the biological tree? How?" Don't even get me STARTED on the problem-solving and just general play they practice, They're just- AAAHH! They're so cool! I just love those little noodle bundles so much! Such beautiful creatures! Truly!

(Fun fact: This obsession all started with me owning a snail, wowie).

My favorite species of octopus is tied between the Bimac, (Octopus bimaculoides) and the Argonaut, (Argonauta).

Uh I don't usually post anything ever so yeah this is a big leap of faith for me in terms of online confidence.

I want to genuinely thank everyone on this platform for making this place so open, informative, and just generally peaceful! Hanging out on here is gonna be such a blast! I just know it!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Welcome!

Nautiluses were one of the main reasons I became interested in ocean life as well - I've found that the more I learn the more fascinating every creature becomes (and that's especially true with highly interactive and intelligent/unique creatures like octopuses).

Setting snails aside (though they're very cool critters in their own right), argonauts and coconut octopuses (sorry bimacs) are some of my favorites amongst the octopuses for their unique characteristics. For looks, though, I'm a big fan of the pygmy zebra octopus.

Anyway, welcome again!

 

[tonmo]

A big welcome, @suqish! Thanks for joining our community.

For looks, though, I'm a big fan of the pygmy zebra octopus

quality shout-out!

 

[el.pulpo]

Hi! Uhm..

I hope whoever is reading this is having a good morning, afternoon, or night! I'm just a random Floridian teenager who loves cephalopods, originally stemming from my interest in the Nautilus which grew into me becoming fond of octopi as well.

Originally I just enjoyed wonky-looking creatures, but then I started researching the philosophy of the octopus, how smart they are, and how they have personalities and can show affection- How do I even describe it- I was just completely blown away. During all my research, the whole time I only had one thought on my mind: "How can these things act more human than like 90% of the creatures on this plant despite being on the opposite end of the biological tree? How?" Don't even get me STARTED on the problem-solving and just general play they practice, They're just- AAAHH! They're so cool! I just love those little noodle bundles so much! Such beautiful creatures! Truly!

(Fun fact: This obsession all started with me owning a snail, wowie).

My favorite species of octopus is tied between the Bimac, (Octopus bimaculoides) and the Argonaut, (Argonauta).

Uh I don't usually post anything ever so yeah this is a big leap of faith for me in terms of online confidence.

I want to genuinely thank everyone on this platform for making this place so open, informative, and just generally peaceful! Hanging out on here is gonna be such a blast! I just know it!

Welcome! I am just a random teenager from Colorado and I totally share your awe and enthusiasm for cephalopods!!! They're a magnificent pocket of life and the more I learn about them the harder it is to stop. AH! I get it.
An avenue I have gone down recently is cephalod evolution, and WOW it's just stunning. If you are interested in that at all I high recommend Squid Empire by Danna Staaf, despite it's name it had information on the crazy evolution of all cephalopods (including nautiluses and their shells!!).

What was your snail's name?

Good on you for taking that leap, you definitely found the right coner of the internet to nerd out

 

[tonmo]

If you are interested in that at all I high recommend Squid Empire by Danna Staaf, despite it's name it had information on the crazy evolution of all cephalopods (including nautiluses and their shells!!)

@Danna is a PREMIER cephalopod author and communicator! Welcome to TONMO @el.pulpo

 

[suqish]

Welcome! I am just a random teenager from Colorado and I totally share your awe and enthusiasm for cephalopods!!! They're a magnificent pocket of life and the more I learn about them the harder it is to stop. AH! I get it.
An avenue I have gone down recently is cephalod evolution, and WOW it's just stunning. If you are interested in that at all I high recommend Squid Empire by Danna Staaf, despite it's name it had information on the crazy evolution of all cephalopods (including nautiluses and their shells!!).

What was your snail's name?

Good on you for taking that leap, you definitely found the right coner of the internet to nerd out

Their name was Yellby! (My mom originally wanted to name them Shelby but she has a heavy Argentinian accent so we called them Yellby in her honor.)

Also, thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely check that out.

 

[el.pulpo]

Their name was Yellby! (My mom originally wanted to name them Shelby but she has a heavy Argentinian accent so we called them Yellby in her honor.)

Also, thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely check that out.

I love that. One time I had a dog named Isabella, everyone called her "Isa" and my aunt with a think Puerto Rican accent called her "Eesa" so she ended up Esa! Pet names changing are one of the best things about having them.

Ofc!

 

[Danna]

Thanks for the shout-out @el.pulpo and thanks for tagging me @tonmo so I could see it! My cephalopod obsession (cephalobsession? obsephalopod?) started with meeting an aquarium octopus at age 10 and escalated from there--so what I'm saying is, I was once also a random teenager who loved cephalopods, and it's wonderful to meet others!

The new edition of Squid Empire actually got a new title so it would be (hopefully) clearer that it covers the evolution of all cephalopods: Monarchs of the Sea! I mention this just in case anyone is looking for Squid Empire and can't find it--Monarchs of the Sea is the same book with a few extra illustrations and updates.

 

[suqish]

I love that. One time I had a dog named Isabella, everyone called her "Isa" and my aunt with a think Puerto Rican accent called her "Eesa" so she ended up Esa! Pet names changing are one of the best things about having them.

Ofc!

Agreed!


Fun fact! Yellby ended up laying over 20 eggs in a 2 week time-frame! (My mom was not pleased lol.) Turns out, land snails can reproduce asexually, which I was unaware of at the time.

Despite me not wanting any more snails (and not even knowing if they were fertilized or not, which, they were.) I decided to keep the eggs because I didn't have the heart to freeze, or crush them.

Turns out I'm a very lucky gal cause only 3 of them hatched, and I was able to successfully raise them into adolescence without any issue.

Here's a pic of their happy little family! :>

Yellby taught me something very important, always thoroughly research any animal you're planning to own!

 

[GPO87]

Welcome to Tonmo! This is a fantastic place to grow your cephalopod obsession!

 

[el.pulpo]

Agreed!


Fun fact! Yellby ended up laying over 20 eggs in a 2 week time-frame! (My mom was not pleased lol.) Turns out, land snails can reproduce asexually, which I was unaware of at the time.

Despite me not wanting any more snails (and not even knowing if they were fertilized or not, which, they were.) I decided to keep the eggs because I didn't have the heart to freeze, or crush them.

Turns out I'm a very lucky gal cause only 3 of them hatched, and I was able to successfully raise them into adolescence without any issue.

Here's a pic of their happy little family! :>

Yellby taught me something very important, always thoroughly research any animal you're planning to own!

AH! That's so exciting!! I am glad only three of them hatched, I wouldn't have had the heart to get rid of the eggs either.

I don't have any snails but I like to grow lots of different plants over the summer. Last year I grew zinnias and there were two zinnias that were growing like crazy. Those turned out be sunflowers that somehow found their way into my garden. That taught me a lesson in researching too because if I looked into it I would have found out zinnias don't grow that tall!!

This year I am planning on growing a paradise flower, we'll see how that goes though, I heard they are hard.
Do you like keeping any plants?

 

[el.pulpo]

AH! That's so exciting!! I am glad only three of them hatched, I wouldn't have had the heart to get rid of the eggs either.

I don't have any snails but I like to grow lots of different plants over the summer. Last year I grew zinnias and there were two zinnias that were growing like crazy. Those turned out be sunflowers that somehow found their way into my garden. That taught me a lesson in researching too because if I looked into it I would have found out zinnias don't grow that tall!!

This year I am planning on growing a paradise flower, we'll see how that goes though, I heard they are hard.
Do you like keeping any plants?

Also I have to brag real quick, a friend of mine visited New Mexico recently and look what she bought me as a gift!!!

 

[suqish]

AH! That's so exciting!! I am glad only three of them hatched, I wouldn't have had the heart to get rid of the eggs either.

I don't have any snails but I like to grow lots of different plants over the summer. Last year I grew zinnias and there were two zinnias that were growing like crazy. Those turned out be sunflowers that somehow found their way into my garden. That taught me a lesson in researching too because if I looked into it I would have found out zinnias don't grow that tall!!

This year I am planning on growing a paradise flower, we'll see how that goes though, I heard they are hard.
Do you like keeping any plants?

Oh! That's absolutely awesome! I'm currently growing 7 live oak saplings, a string of pearls, and a lil echeveria!

My string of pearls and echeveria are fairly new, since I've only just started to get confident in my plant growing abilities, however, my precious saplings have been in my care for 4 months now, and I've been observing their growth closely, ever since their first little taproot poked through the shell. I can't wait till they get bigger! The story of how they came to be is quite a long one, ever since I was little I've always wanted to grow a tree of my own, so that I could have a living representation of both my mental and physical growth throughout my life. Plus the added bonus of my kids having a killer treehouse and a story to tell.

For most of my life I've lived in Boston, the environment there was quite hostile for most plants, especially saplings, nearly all year round. This didn't help my plant growing confidence and certainly didn't help when my naive 10 year old self who knew nothing about germinating seeds tried to grow an army of northern red oaks in my backyard. Where I ended up waiting 2 months only to discover that the acorns I had planted got devoured by squirrels. It was a massive heartbreak for me.

Ever since then, I believed that my dream was simply unobtainable. That is, until I moved to Florida. When I got into my new school, the campus was like a whole new world for me, the trees were simply stunning, the weather was lovely, and there were so many plants everywhere that every lungful of air felt like a forest was growing in my throat, each one was so unique, yet somehow they all managed to co-exist with each other, and that's when I knew. Trust me, I researched for a whole month straight on a seemingly "normal" shade tree. They meant that much to me. You could imagine the shock of my peers when acorn season finally rolled around, when I started my final preparations, plucking the best looking acorns off the branches of the trees they sat under so I could finally germinate them.

Watching them thrive throughout these last four months filled me with the same giggly joy I had when I was little. I witnessed very new leaf that sprouted, every new inch they gained, and it was simply incredible. I think this whole growth process has truly changed me and the way I look at life, I can't imagine what it'll continue to do for me in the future.

I'm so glad I never gave up on the prospect of gardening. It truly is such a magical experience to grow plants, isn't it? I can't believe you grow them too! What luck!

I use one particular plant book almost ever time I need help with my plants, called "Don't Throw it Out!" -- > Official “Don’t Throw it Out” Book | Plant Hacks/Tips/Tricks

It's taught me how to grow a boatload of different varieties of plants, along with the added bonus of teaching me how to recycle "garbage" and turn it into something beneficial! It helped kick off my plant-growing journey and it most definitely deserves my praise, check it out if you want!

Good luck with that paradise flower! I hope you have a happy and prosperous plant growing journey!

P. S. Cinnamon is absolutely incredible for plant growth, if you have to prune / re-pot your plant, or if you have saplings that need a little boost, just slap some cinnamon on there. Works every time. Plus they increase the germination rate of seeds! ^^

 

[suqish]

Also I have to brag real quick, a friend of mine visited New Mexico recently and look what she bought me as a gift!!!

:OOO I REMEMBER THOSE! I loved those things! I used to have a bunch on my backpack when I was in 5th grade!

Never seen an octopus variant before though! So pretty... Your friend sounds super sweet!

 

[suqish]

Also, sorry for the late replies! Had lots of work to do over the spring break, bleh.