Microscopic Squid Suckers

The image above won an honorable mention in a recent contest involving scientific photos. These magnified suction cups come from a large squid specimen. Chalk the Cthulhuvian resemblance up to something brought down from the stars in ancient times. Or perhaps just the "elegant mutations" of Thomas Ligotti in the swirling cesspool of shape-shifting organisms. In any case, the squid is a candidate for a naturally horrific aesthetic through and through--from the tentacles and slime detectable to the human eye, to the finer microscope maws that comprise its flesh.

-Grim Blogger