In the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique, I justed moved above PZ. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Sure PZ claims to be the unofficial royalty of all Cephalopod. He even claims to be waiting for the molluscan mothership to land. But when it comes right down to the wire, PZ will have to address some serious questions about zebrafish. Between you and me, when it comes to the “inordinately fond of invertebrates” badge I have PZ beat. First, where is PZ’s tattoo? I have one! Second, as you can clearly see in the photo below, that is Steve O’Shea (middle and of giant and colossal squid fame) with his arm around me! The other is Lou Ziedberg (right), a squid biologist who works on the Humboldt Squid.
Seriously, O’Shea has been a prominent voice on both very large squids and marine conservation. I was luckily enough to host him for a seminar at MBARI. As expected, the talk was spectacular, witty and full of content, covering sex, growth, conservation, behavior, ecology, and of course really big squids. O’Shea maybe the hardest working man in science. In biology, Steve is a true rock star. My final comment is that if Steve is anywhere within a 1,000 mile radius to give a lecture take some time off, load up the car, and go see his talk.
