dear All

I am not sure if someone mentioned the fact that octopuses are very fine
shell collectors. In same countries local divers visit octopus homes and
bring empty fresh eaten shells ( Cypraea, Marginella ) to sell to collectors
instead of looking for live shells which can be much more difficult to find.
The finding of shells is  easy for octopus who obviously knows the habitat
of shells. In Portugal and some mediterranean countries fishermen use clay
or plastic pots to catch octopus and shells are very often found inside or
attached ( Chlamys, Trivia, Cymatium, Nassariidae )

Merry Christmas to you all

p.s. in Christmas eve the portuguese national dish is boiled salted Cod (
known as bacalhau ) which is eaten with potatoes, cabbage and olive oil but
in the North some people replace Cod by Boiled Octopus. It's a common
procedure
to frozen first the Octopus to tender the meat before cooking.


 ------ Original Message -----
From: "Yamaguchi" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 20, 2004 11:27 PM
Subject: Re: a variety of drill holes in shells - octopod borings


> Dear All,
>
> Kay pointed out the same sort of question that I have been
> wondering for some time.
>
> Cowry shells are attacked by certain small octopuses in aquarium
> and victimized shells show very small (less than 0.5 mm dia.)
> pinholes, often more than one. As cowry shells are not protected
> by operculum, I wonder why drilling is necessary. One clue might
> be that the area where pinholes are made tended to be close to
> the tail end of the soft body when it retreat deep inside. Perhaps,
> the prey might first be paralyzed by injection of something before
> it would be extracted out of the shell.
>
> Masashi Yamaguchi
> Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus
> Okinawa, Japan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kay Peterson" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 5:35 AM
> Subject: Re: a variety of drill holes in shells - octopod borings
>
>
> > Don't you think that there might be an easier way for an Octopus to get
a
> > hermit crab out of its borrowed shell without resorting to drilling?
> > Drilling
> > must take some time.
> >
> > Kay
> >
>
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