Nature Facts
Octopus
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Octopus Facts:
- An adult Pacific octopus has around 280 suckers per arm.
- Octopus have arms. Jellyfish have tentacles.
- It takes less energy to walk across the ocean floor than to swim.
- The plural of octopus is octopuses.
- Octopus skin contains special cells called Chromataphores which help to camoflague them by changing the size of the pigment.
- With an arm span up to 14 feet, the giant Pacific octopus is the biggest species.
- Octopus ink doesn’t just make a good smoke screen for a quick escape, it also physically harms enemies. Like pepper spray, octopus ink causes severe irritation in the eyes, making it impossible to see. It also confuses both senses of taste and smell. If an octopus cannot get away from its own ink cloud in time, it could potentially die from the nasty concoction.
- Each of an octopus’s arms has a mind of its own, meaning that each arm can do something completely different than the others. While one arm is focused on opening a clam, another arm could be checking out a cave, while still another is pushing aside some sea grass.
- Iron-based blood is red. The octopus, however, has copper-based blood, which is blue!
- Severed arms can regenerate in 2-4 months.
- Octopuses are extremely smart. They have 500 million neurons.
- They have rectangular pupils, like goats!
God's Amazing Animals Video Coming Soon– Sept 1
Octopus are great at hiding, not only can they change color but they are also great at squishing into small places
Chromataphores
Chromatophores are organs that are in the skin of the octopus, which contain pigment sacs that become more visible as small radial muscles pull the sac open making the pigment expand under the skin. This helps them to camouflage themselves against predators.
Check out how well this blue-ringed octopus hides in the open.
click images to see larger versions
A close up of the chromataphores on the octopus.
Arms
An octopus has eight arms. The arms and suckers which line the arms are multi-functional; they can be used for locomotion, grasping, pushing, pulling, wrapping, twisting, and tactile sensing.
With an arm span up to 14 feet, the giant Pacific octopus is the biggest species.
Octopuses are really smart and they are really good at problem solving. They can unscrew lids and break out of aquariums.
