Some cephalopods are able to fly through the air for distances of up to 50 metres (160 ft). While cephalopods are not particularly aerodynamic, they achieve these impressive ranges by jet-propulsion; water continues to be expelled from the funnel while the organism is in the air. The animals spread their fins and tentacles to form wings and actively control lift force with body posture. One species, Todarodes pacificus, has been observed spreading tentacles in a flat fan shape with a mucus film between the individual tentacles, while another, Sepioteuthis sepioidea, has been observed putting the tentacles in a circular arrangement.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalopod#Senses

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    34·
    6 months ago

    So what I’m hearing is that at 50 meters from the shoreline it is unlikely, but not impossible, that a squid may leap onto your face.

  • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
    32·
    6 months ago

    Holy shit man

    TL;DW it’s rare, there’s no video apparently. They think they maybe do it to get away from predators but against all odds they can do a pretty good job at it for “short” distances.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    261·
    6 months ago

    The only thing that stopped them from becoming a dominate species like humans is their short lifespans.

    They don’t live long enough to accumulate and exchange complex information.

    We could have an underwater squid society if they just lived a couple years longer so they’d start seeing a benefit from increased lifespan and start selecting for it.

    It’s why aliens coming to earth is so far fetched. It’s not just “life” being out there, it’s hitting a bunch of conditions so certain necessary traits are selected for, then the species living long enough to develop and sustain interstellar travel.

    All while being in Earths local commuting distance.

    • Revan343@lemmy.caEnglish
      141·
      6 months ago

      I wouldn’t say it’s the only thing getting in their way; being underwater is a major disadvantage when it comes to developing advanced technology, as it makes smelting rather difficult.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        6 months ago

        Don’t judge a fish on how well it can climb a tree…

        Just because the stuff we invented on land won’t work, doesn’t mean the mighty squid people wouldnt have invented an underwater method instead.

    • kamenLady.@lemmy.worldEnglish
      141·
      6 months ago

      Maybe they reached this state in the past and thought:

      “Nah, the whole trauma you build up in a long life of complicated relationships, that inevitably ends in sorrow and death? It just ain’t worth it.”

      Then they reverted back to the short-life sweet-spot of 2 - 3 years. Enough time to get reproductive organs going, have the best sex of your lifetime and thank off.

      No one’s got time for religion, war and all that other nonsense with such a short time at your disposal.

    • Lvxferre@mander.xyzEnglish
      11·
      6 months ago

      I’m just conjecturing, mind you. Nothing truly serious. That said:

      I think that individual lifespan plays a small role on this. The main issue is that they don’t care about their young and their typical lonely behaviour.

      I’m saying this because a lot of our (human) strength is not individual. It’s the small things that we do that give a tiny bit more power to the ones around them, and to the next generations. Those things pile up, and yet for cephalopods there’s nothing remotely similar to that. (Cetaceans come closer, but their ability to change the environment around them is a bit handicapped. Or rather flippercapped.)

    • DeVaolleysAdVocate@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      6 months ago

      didn’t the pentagon come out a few years ago saying there are 'ufo’s that are not US or other known nation’s. There are lots of possibilities that are not aliens from other plants but then again with some time a race could learn to use technology to live thousands of years naturally right?

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        6 months ago

        They’ve been saying that for decades…

        For so long that they were able to say

        Nah, that was us, we couldn’t say anything till the SR-71 Blackbird was declassified tho

        Why would you assume that when they say next:

        But this new thing definitely isn’t us

        That it’s not the same thing?

        Hell, you’re operating under the assumption they’re actually things.

        The stuff where pilots say “nothing can move like that” is usually from some trick of perspective because they’re flying faster than the speed of sound and trying to look at something at a weird angle.

        Like, something from another planet that flew here is like a 0.00000000000000001% chance.

        It would be more likely to be a civilization from the center of the Earth, time travellers, something from a parallel universe…

        All that stuff is also incredibly unlikely and not what any of those are. But even fucking Jesus coming back and flying around is more likely than aliens flew here through space.

        Especially considering they had to fly here without us ever finding any evidence except these few videos.

        If they could hide coming here, they wouldn’t have any problem hiding once here.

        And if they were gonna let us catch glimpses for this long, they’d have said what’s up by now.

  • Lvxferre@mander.xyzEnglish
    7·
    6 months ago

    Flying squids are cool. A lot like flying squirrels - more like gliding than proper flight.

    My guesses are similar to the ones in the video mozz linked: developed for migration, or avoiding predators (including intra-species), or perhaps both. Air travel might be difficult due to gravity, but it’s a pretty handy tool if you’re trying to survive.