Get Off Of Me!: An Octopus Joyriding On A Dolphin
These are a couple shots captured by scientists studying dolphins as part of the Ionian Dolphin Project off the coast of Greece. They show an octopus that's attached itself to a dolphin's *STAY PROFESSIONAL, GW* genital slit, presumably to avoid being eaten by the mammal. Oooooooor because octopi are notorious perverts. *shivers* They stare and wave at me at the aquarium.
Photographer Joan Gonzalvo isn't sure what the octopus was up to, though he told New Scientist that perhaps the dolphin tried to eat the octopus and the animal lodged itself along the dolphin's genital slit to escape.
The dolphin may have been leaping from the water to detach its uninvited guest, Gonzalvo, the project manager of the Ionian Dolphin Project, wrote on the organization's blog. After shaking the octopus loose, the dolphin continued to swim with no signs of discomfort, he added.
Listen: if you ever get something stuck to your genitals you do NOT flail around hoping it comes off. That's just gonna make people think you're some kind of weird flasher. You've gotta rub yourself on something. I suggest a coral reef or the barnacled hull of a boat. "And if you're human?" That was for humans.
Hit the jump for one more shot.
Thanks to bradley and Gammatron, who don't let any marine life hitch a ride on their junk because that's how mutant babies happen. *whispering* Okay they're both cool with mermaids.
