{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "Drawing with eight arms",
  "path": "/en/post.html?slug=42-geheimen-van-de-octopus",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-16T09:53:55.119Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:uhfpdu77jo35kapfxj2ttfdk/site.standard.publication/3mnkdid7d4j2g",
  "textContent": "Read "Strook" in English on my blog Another Strook featuring something I’ve drawn, read, and listened to. Drawing My latest work, the octopus, is finished. What a complex animal. I searched endlessly for good reference material. I got tangled up in the arms, suction cups, and patterns. In videos, the octopus transformed faster than we could register. In the Natural History Museum’s storage rooms, I peered at the mollusks in the jars filled with octopuses to understand what I wanted to draw. And I learned from other illustrators in the library. Details of the Common Octopus (Octopus Vulgaris). A3, with Micron 003, 005, and 01 It goes nicely with my whale shark , swordfish , orca , eagle ray, and sea turtle . Reading Can we, as humans, even comprehend how extraordinary the octopus is? More than half a billion years of evolution separate the octopus from humans. This animal, which evolved from “simple” mollusks, developed nine brains—one central brain and one in each of its arms. Two-thirds of the neurons are not in the octopus’s head, but in its arms, which, believe it or not, can make decisions independently. A detached arm can even catch prey. Octopuses can taste with every millimeter of their skin. They have hundreds of suction cups that allow them to lift many times their own weight. The smallest octopus is a few centimeters long, while the giant Pacific octopus can grow up to 9 meters long. They can recognize individual people and adapt their behavior based on previous encounters. Octopuses can plan to catch prey. Like chimpanzees and dolphins, they can use tools—a sign of higher cognition. They have short lifespans and are solitary from birth, forcing them to learn rapidly. Octopus vulgaris, the common octopus. On A3 paper with Micron 003, 005, and 01. And I haven’t even mentioned that they can change color, camouflage themselves, and mimic the behavior of other animal species. The Mimic Octopus, discovered as recently as 1998, is capable of mimicking various predators. It chooses which species to mimic based on its attacker. I read all about it in Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery. It accompanies the National Geographic documentary series of the same name . 1 Listen If you combine Vampire Weekend and The 1975, you get Rostam. To me, as a listener, the album American Stories certainly sounded pleasantly familiar. And guess what? Rostam Batmanglij was actually in Vampire Weekend. Since then, he’s produced albums for artists like HAIM, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Frank Ocean. Rostam is his own project. See you next week! Get a weekly Strook with something I’ve drawn, read, and listened to: 1 You can marvel at the Giant Pacific Octopus starting at the 21-minute mark .",
  "title": "42. Secrets of the Octopus"
}