Earliest memory of Ceph encounter or introduction to Cephs

Joined
Mar 25, 2021
Messages
21
Location
New Jersey
I'm curious, do any of you remember how or in what context you were introduced to (or encountered, if you were so lucky...) an octopus, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus, and how old you were at the time? Earliest memory? I remember my parents taking me to the aquarium at the St Louis Zoo, as a kid. The octopus (which I now realize was several over several years) was kept in a dark tank in a dark room off the main walkway through the exhibit hall. It was rare to actually see him, although I refused to leave until I saw something, some movement. For some reason our visits were never timed to feedings. Then one day I saw the octopus roll out from behind the coral set up, arms and suckers feeling around on the glass, the substrate, searching, it seemed. I remember several other kids screeching and backing away from the tank--the movement so sudden and unexpected. I remained, nose pressed to the outside of the glass. I just remember wanting to touch the octopus, to reach back. I knew nothing about them as a child of no more than probably 8 or 9, yet I remember this so well, and I'm certain it felt like an invitation. I would later draw my family with heads in the middle of their bodies, torsos on top, arms on top of that. I called it my "Mars Family" drawing, but on closer inspection, I drew this around the time I saw that octopus. I still have the drawing!
 
I'm curious, do any of you remember how or in what context you were introduced to (or encountered, if you were so lucky...) an octopus, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus, and how old you were at the time? Earliest memory? I remember my parents taking me to the aquarium at the St Louis Zoo, as a kid. The octopus (which I now realize was several over several years) was kept in a dark tank in a dark room off the main walkway through the exhibit hall. It was rare to actually see him, although I refused to leave until I saw something, some movement. For some reason our visits were never timed to feedings. Then one day I saw the octopus roll out from behind the coral set up, arms and suckers feeling around on the glass, the substrate, searching, it seemed. I remember several other kids screeching and backing away from the tank--the movement so sudden and unexpected. I remained, nose pressed to the outside of the glass. I just remember wanting to touch the octopus, to reach back. I knew nothing about them as a child of no more than probably 8 or 9, yet I remember this so well, and I'm certain it felt like an invitation. I would later draw my family with heads in the middle of their bodies, torsos on top, arms on top of that. I called it my "Mars Family" drawing, but on closer inspection, I drew this around the time I saw that octopus. I still have the drawing!
Great story. I grew up in New Orleans and there was no aquarium until this century with the Aquarium of the Americas. Beautiful facility but no octopuses. I have never actually seen one alive. Only read about them and watched videos on the net. During my years at LSU Vet School, i kept hoping someone would show up on faculty working with them. No such luck. One day . . .
 
Ah, but you at least have vet school! I love New Orleans, by the way--put together an anthology after Katrina, of my volunteer work helping the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center rebuild after Katrina. Donated proceeds to the center, and well, could say I know what it means to miss New Orleans.... Are you still there? A practicing vet or researcher?
 
Great question! Love your story @LaurenGonzalez, what a great memory that is. I can't remember a specific ceph story, but I do remember early trips to the New England Aquarium in the early 70's. I do remember visiting Myrtle the Turtle, and I'm pleased to report that it seems she continues to do well at 90 years old! :shock:
 
Ah, but you at least have vet school! I love New Orleans, by the way--put together an anthology after Katrina, of my volunteer work helping the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center rebuild after Katrina. Donated proceeds to the center, and well, could say I know what it means to miss New Orleans.... Are you still there? A practicing vet or researcher?
 
I'm nothing if not prompt! So very sorry it took so long to get back to you. Numpty that i am, i couldn't find the original message. i' m pretty clueless about doing anything more than the most basic of basic.🙄 thank you for coming down to help in the giant mess after Katrina.I would love to see your anthology. I never got to N.O. after the storm for several years, so i have only the news films, which were bad enough. left NO in my early 20s and have been pretty much in Baton Rouge, where the Vet School is. i never went to Vet School, but worked there for what seemed like an entire lifetime. i started as a tech in Small Animal Clinic, moved arounnd a bit and ended up in Gross Anatomy for 14 yrs.or so. Great job, loved my boss, loved working with first year students, they had Gross for their entire first year. Never got to do anything with Octos 😭. No one there was working with them at all.i've never even seen one in real life. Please feel free to talk Octopuses with me any time. I wonder if we should move that to Messenger so as not to clog up TONMO?? What do you think?
 
i couldn't find the original message.
A quick pro-tip! You can always find anything you participated in by clicking on your account info, and then "Your Content," as shown here:

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I'm nothing if not prompt! So very sorry it took so long to get back to you. Numpty that i am, i couldn't find the original message. i' m pretty clueless about doing anything more than the most basic of basic.🙄 thank you for coming down to help in the giant mess after Katrina.I would love to see your anthology. I never got to N.O. after the storm for several years, so i have only the news films, which were bad enough. left NO in my early 20s and have been pretty much in Baton Rouge, where the Vet School is. i never went to Vet School, but worked there for what seemed like an entire lifetime. i started as a tech in Small Animal Clinic, moved arounnd a bit and ended up in Gross Anatomy for 14 yrs.or so. Great job, loved my boss, loved working with first year students, they had Gross for their entire first year. Never got to do anything with Octos 😭. No one there was working with them at all.i've never even seen one in real life. Please feel free to talk Octopuses with me any time. I wonder if we should move that to Messenger so as not to clog up TONMO?? What do you think?
Hello! Gosh, now it's on me...busy busy and then also couldn't find the thread (thanks for the support, btw, Webmaster!) I'm envious of your work with animals, even though you haven't had a chance to work with octopuses. I have loved animals probably more than any other attraction all my life, and only worked with them in wildlife rehabilitation in Northern California for a while, which was a high point, for sure, one I hope to get back to as time allows. Of course, for now I am trying on (thanks to this group) keeping my own octopus, which is sounding not only more and more intriguing, but more and more possible. I've had aquariums and turtles all my life, though this is another level entirely! My book is called Submerged: Tales From the Basin, came out in 2009. The print run sold out, which is great--small art press in Chicago. If you haven't seen Trouble the Water, an excellent documentary that was shot by hand during Katrina, a husband and wife team with their video camera. Spike Lee heard about it, and funded the completion of their film, I believe is the story.
 
90!! Myrtle's a youngster! Thanks for sharing that story. I really appreciated learning from TONMO author Danna Staaf that turtles aren't nearly as "old" as cephs in terms of years clocked on this planet, genetically. Here I thought terrapins (and insects) were the keepers of the ancient wisdom!
 

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