Octopuses happen to be some of the most mysterious creatures around. Inspiring monsters for centuries, the octopus is a beautiful marine cephalopod, famous for having eight appendages and a very bulbous head. The origins of the word octopus lie in the Greek oktopus, meaning eight foot.
The oldest fossil dates back to an octopus-like animal that lived more than 296 million years ago. Highly intelligent, these invertebrates possess a squid-like body with limbs that are connected directly to the head.
In the next section, we will look at some of the most intriguing octopus facts.
Interesting Facts About Octopus
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Octopuses are carnivorous animals and are grouped under Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca. They are found in almost all the oceans of the world and have a more or less benthic existence. They can be found on sea beds, ocean floors, in shells, reefs and crevices.
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Octopuses are said to be very clever and great at camouflage. They are capable of matching the colour of their bodies to that of their surroundings, allowing them to hide from potential predators.
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On sensing that a predator is close, an octopus will shoot out a cloud of an ink-like substance that clouds the predator’s sense of smell.
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Thanks to their squishy soft bodies, octopuses can squeeze into impossibly small nooks and corners and even sacrifice an arm if it feels the need for it.
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Octopuses have tentacles that are lined with suckers which they can move independently. They use their suckers to touch, smell and manoeuvre objects around them.
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Octopuses are are often considered the monsters of the deep seas. Some of them can be pelagic as well and live near the ocean water’s surface.
Rack Your Brains: Look up the Internet or ask your teacher, librarian or friends for more new octopus information. Then write a small essay about octopus and its many mysterious qualities.
Some More Octopus Facts For Kids
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Octopuses have a robust muscular tube in their body called a siphon. An octopus uses it to blast water and even swim backwards which can be beautiful to watch.
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They can also crawl along the ocean floor and pull their arms into small openings to take in food.
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Octopuses seem to have a mind of their own. They have tentacles that are very smart thanks to the numerous neurons residing in them. Believe it or not, these arms can actually brainstorm as to how to force open oysters or shellfish for food, while the body figures out where else to look for prey.
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Octopus ink contains a chemical compound called tyrosinase that helps to control the production of melanin. Tyrosinase, when sprayed in the eyes, can cause a predator to go temporarily blind.
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Octopuses have a copper-based pigment called hemocyanin which turns their blood blue! This hemocyanin helps transport oxygen during extremely low temperatures and when there is scarce oxygen.
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Octopuses tend to have very brief periods of parenthood and mating, after which they usually die. They exhibit external fertilisation and can lay up to 4,00,000 eggs.
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Shortly after fertilisation, female octopuses stop eating and undergoes a process called cellular suicide.
Octopuses can be very solitary when they want to and even live alone in dens carved out of rocks. Let’s take a look back at these octopus facts with the following quiz:
Pop Quiz 1
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Octopuses have _________ blood.
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Green
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Blue
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Black
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Red
Did You Know?
Octopuses have been found to have three hearts, of which one is used to pump blood, while the others pump blood through its respiratory gills. While swimming, the heart which pumps blood to the organs stops working. That’s why they prefer crawling rather than swimming. Find out more cool octopus heart facts from your teacher.
These are numerous amazing facts about octopus. Check out our website for more facts about other animals and get a step ahead with our comprehensive range of revision notes and sample papers. Now you can also download our app for ease of access to these study material, as well as online interactive sessions.