5 OUTSTANDING OCTOPUS FACTS FOR CEPHALOPOD AWARENESS WEEK
It's Cephalopod Awareness Week
Cephalopods (pronounced ‘sef-fo-la-pod’) make up that incredible group of boneless, color-changing animals that include octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus.
Even though they are all cool, let's really focus on the octopus. . . .In particular, octopus intelligence. Why? Because there are far more incredible, jaw-dropping feats the octopus can do besides fitting through small holes (like this guy)
1. We know an octopus has 8 arms (not tentacles); but because of the way their nervous system is set up, each arm can 'think' for itself. . . like when you need to hold a shark at an arm’s length while stealing a bait tank 😉
2. Research is showing that these animals are not just gobs of goo, but actually quite intelligent. Wild octopuses have been seen constructing shelters and using tools. Captive animals will play with toys and recognize people. In fact, it's not uncommon for an octopus to like one caretaker and not another.
3. We know an octopus can change the colors and textures of their skin to match their surroundings, right? What is cool about the octopus (and other cephalopods) is that they are technically colorblind.
4. Now let's take it a step further. There is a species that not only changes the color and texture of their skin but also can contort themselves into shapes of other animals...and even MOVE like them. The mimic octopus has been known to imposter over 15 intimidating species: including sea snakes and lionfish. (The whole video is great, but the mimicry is around marker 0:55)
5. The octopus is quite the devoted mother. So devoted, in fact, that will make the ultimate sacrifice- she will give her life for them. Female octopuses mate once in their life. Once she lays her clutch of eggs, she will not leave them- not even to eat. She will constantly clean and aerate them by gently blowing a stream of water over the grape-like clusters of eggs. By the time her tiny babies hatch, her body can no longer sustain itself and will die shortly after. This brooding period can take up to 52 weeks, sometimes longer depending on the species.
