Cephalopod expert Danna Staaf (author of The Lady and the Octopus and Monarchs of the Sea) talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about the alien world of octopuses, the secret lives of squid and her two new books Nursery Earth: The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World and The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives: A Natural History of Cephalopods. “They are definitely our fellow earthlings and some of the oddest ones we share the planet with.” Shownotes: 3:20 Meet Danna Staaf. “They are extremely intelligent animals with extremely short life-spans.” 6:12 Meet Danna Staaf’s first pet octopus – Serendipity. 12:32 “There’s this tension between the alien and the familiar in them.” And octopus decor… 13:50 “They are definitely our fellow earthlings and some of the oddest ones we share the planet with.” 15:49 How and why cephalopods lost their shells. 22:15 The difference between octopus and squid. “Squid basically evolved for swimming and for speed.” 25:10 “Cephalopods are amazing.” 27:13 “These are real animals that inspired a lot of myths and legends.” 28:35 “Squid are like the protein bars of the oceans.” 31:30 Squid squads! 32:36 Baby animals doot doot doot doot – Danna Staff’s new baby book! 34:31 “At any given moment, most of the animals on earth are babies… I find all of them to be adorable in their own ways.” 41:20 Her favourite odd octopus facts… donut brains! 42:17 “I love asking what if questions about nature and about science.” 44:20 How humans are threatening octopuses and the health of the oceans. Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas. Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter: https://substack.com/@skaanapod?utm_source=profile-page  Spotify……………www.bit.ly/spotify-skaana Apple Podcasts………www.skaana.ca The Orca Bites Podcast (on anchor)………www.orcabites.com Skaana home……www.skaana.org Skaana on Medium……www.orcatales.com Our Latest Orca Videos…www.jpod.news Facebook…………https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/ Twitter……………https://twitter.com/leirenyoung Instagram…………https://www.instagram.com/skaanapod/ Danna Staff Author Photo – credit Josh Weaver Support Our Guest Official website Instagram X  Facebook  From: Nursery Earth: The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World Books for sale and Classes from Team Skaana **Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**  Audio books by Mark Leiren-Young (Killer Whale Who Changed the World, Orcas Everywhere & Never Shoot a Stampede Queen) on Audible.com https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Mark+Leiren-Young The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q Orcas Everywhere; Orcas of the Salish Sea & Big Whales, Small World: http://www.orcaseverywhere.com Paint the Ocean You Wish to See with Rayne Ellycrys Benu… https://orcapaint.net The Force of Doubt by Rayne Ellycrys Benu… https://books2read.com/forceofdoubt