© Christopher Hamilton 2011

Cephalopods are the class of mollusks that contain octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses. Cephalopods can change colour, texture and body shape, and can even obscure themselves in a cloud of ink. They have three hearts, pumping copper based, hemocyania blood. They have large brains and highly-developed senses. Most have a shell inside or out—except octopuses who can pour themselves in to any crack or crevice. As mollusks they are related to bivalves, gastropods, scaphopoda, and polyplacophorans. At one time cephalopods were dominant life forms on earth. They grow fast, reproduce quickly and die young. Today there are little more than 800 species. Cephalopods’ reproduction habits have exponential growth potential. This life history is known as "r-selection." This quick succession make cephalopods akin to weeds in your garden This natural history in the presence of pressures from climate change and over fishing have resulted in a bloom of Cephalopods recently. The over all biomass of cephalopods may in fact be higher now than ever before in recent history.

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