Dark chocolate, squids, and GIP.

[castalia]

I have Polish dark chocolate. It is very good, and I shall have to go back to the European Market and get some more. It was on sale for 99 cents a bar, so I may buy a whole box. I need something to eat until they get another shipment of the German stuff.

The search for good chocolate is a long and winding road. Despite the things I'd heard about it, I wasn't too fond of the Swiss choc., nor the Italian nor the Dutch. The best I've found seems to be made by the Slavs - the German and the Polish in particular. Their chocolate is by far the smoothest I've tasted, with just the right hint of bitterness to it.

As some of you seemed to enjoy my earlier post about the aquarium, here are some more sea creature links:

A collection of articles at Cephalopod News about Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni - the Colossal Squid, which they think may grow to be about twice the size of the giant squid. Fishermen caught one last year off Antarctica, the second intact specimen ever found. Only a few of the links still work, but the BBC article is wonderful.

This article about a smaller squid has some of the most beautiful pictures of these animals I've ever seen.

There's a great recent article here about giant squids, which gives a good overview of what we know about them. Also, it appears a few researchers have been able to catch live giant squid, but we've still never seen a live one in its natural habitat. And the ones we do catch alive die pretty quickly in captivity :(

Another overview, and a neat place to go for the history of giant squid.

To go on to other animals, here's one of my favorite pages of pictures of seahorses and pipefish. These are from someone's personal aquarium, of which I'm terribly jealous. It's difficult to keep these animals alive in tanks, so it's nice to see them in responsible hands. So pretty!

Another gallery of gorgeous seahorses, pipefish, and their relatives. *wibble*

GIP for my love of seahorses. Hippocampus reidi. More sea creature icons will no doubt follow.

Must resolve to be more productive tomorrow. I never even got out of my pajamas today. For shame, Cas.

Comments

[sensefille.livejournal.com]

Great new icon and lovely pictures. :)

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[cimmerianwillow.livejournal.com]

cute icon! hee! The pictures of the seahorses from the private aquarium -I don't know how seahorses go about mating, but is that what they're doing in some of those pictures where they're wrapped around each other?

I never even got out of my pajamas today. For shame, Cas.

lol! I must have no shame at all then, cause I haven't put clothes on since last Wednesday.

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Seahorses don't actually mate like you think of mating; the female releases eggs into the water, and the male swims through and releases sperm onto them. It's all external. Their mating dances/foreplay do consist of lots of tail action, though :)

lol! I must have no shame at all then, cause I haven't put clothes on since last Wednesday.

You have no shame anyway, but hee! That's quite a comfortable week you've been having :)