Our Latest Cause

Haven't been able to comment much these days; I've been on the west coast, and while I was there I learned about a new cause Gheorghe: The Blog should throw its collective heft behind. It's certainly weird enough, and we could all use the good karma.

Save the Pacific Tree Octopus from Extinction

Please go here now to read about the rare -- and getting rarer -- pacific northwest tree octopus.

The Pacific Northwest tree octopus (Octopus paxarbolis) can be found in the temperate forests of the Olympic Peninsula on the west coast of North America. Their habitat lies on the Eastern side of the Olympic mountain range, adjacent to Hood Canal. These solitary cephalopods reach an average size (measured from arm-tip to mantle-tip,) of 30-33 cm. Unlike most other cephalopods, tree octopuses are amphibious, spending only their early life and
the period of their mating season in their ancestral aquatic environment. Because of the moistness of the forests and specialized skin adaptations, they are able to keep from becoming desiccated for prolonged periods of time, but given the chance they would prefer resting in pooled water.

Although the tree octopus is not officially listed on the Endangered Species List, we feel that it should be added since its numbers are at a critically low level for its breeding needs. The reasons for this dire situation include: decimation of habitat by logging and suburban encroachment; building of roads that cut off access to the water which it needs for spawning; predation by foreign species such as house cats; and booming populations of its natural predators, including the bald eagle . . .

Unless immediate action is taken to protect this species and its
habitat, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus will be but a memory.

Gheorghe: The Blog supports this cause.