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The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

zapatopi.net

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Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#101

Post by markdown »

topato wrote: post #77
megmogandog wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…

I could easily imagine an episode of Seinfeld where Kramer grows scallions in his bathroom

They'd be destroyed by the elephant showerhead.

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#102

Post by ethbr0 »

awwaiid wrote: post #84
megmogandog wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…

Best response / revenge is to actually grow scallions in your bathroom. Or at least pretend to.

Best response would be to sneak into your friend's bathroom and leave baby scallions.

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#104

Post by MarkMarine »

UncleSlacky wrote: post #96
ortusdux wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, tree octopuses sound about as outlandish as land crabs, which I still have trouble believing are real. https://arthropoda.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/coconut-crab....

Not to mention the land shark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Shark_(Saturday_Night_Liv... and the prairie squid: https://subgenius.fandom.com/wiki/Prairie_squid

And drop bears

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#105

Post by parentheses »

blamazon wrote: post #2

I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: > The Pacific Northwest tree octopus is an Internet hoax created in 1998 by a humor writer under the pseudonym Lyle Zapato. Since its creation, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus website has been commonly referenced in Inter…

I scanned it and thought. HN post. Must be legit. Good reminder to RTFx.

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#106

Post by qwertox »

This makes me sad. I once saw my nephew looking at a dino book and I joined him, and for some reason he ended up telling me that they exist in some part of the world. Stupid me laughed at him and told him that they no longer exist, and this has haunted me for years.

I say this, because there was a photo of blue teddy-octopi's legs hanging from a tree on the site, and I started imagining a dad telling his kid how this is something real, that he/she should watch for them to see if he/she can spot them occasionally.

Hurts my heart, but the site is nice, like a cherished thought which someone wanted to keep alive.

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#107

Post by Stratoscope »

People often ask why the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus has such a successful ecological niche that alternates between the rainforest and under the water.

The reason is that unlike humans and other land creatures, they are completely immune to the toxic effects of Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO). In fact, they require regular immersion in it.

This also explains why the octopuses don't migrate farther south. When on the land, they still require ongoing contact with DHMO, which on the Olympic Peninsula is found in abundance in the very air!

https://dhmo.org/

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#109

Post by tejohnso »

blamazon wrote: post #2

I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: > The Pacific Northwest tree octopus is an Internet hoax created in 1998 by a humor writer under the pseudonym Lyle Zapato. Since its creation, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus website has been commonly referenced in Inter…

Well I for one appreciate it. I was drawn in after a couple of paragraphs, and then started to doubt and figured I'd check the comments for exactly this kind of thing before I run off and tell my child about an amazing animal I just heard about. Thank you.

After reading about parasites that turn ants into zombies to do their bidding, I'm pretty much all out of "that's just a nonsense story" when it comes to nature's variety. I'll be skeptical, but I tend not to outright dismiss immediately.

Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

#110

Post by thyrsus »

I was completely taken in until the octopus hat. There's no way 1920s fashionistas go from feathers to a pile of brown turds on their heads. The 2nd ddg hit was the Wikipedia article, the second word of which was "fictitious".
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