Octopus Fun Facts
Tikiri Animal Knowledge Series
This blogs animal in the limelight is the many armed octopus!
Octopuses really are fascinating creatures - they look like they belong in old fashioned deep water thriller films - think 20,000 leagues under the sea.
The truth is, whilst Octopuses generally stay well clear of humans, they can be dangerous but usually not deadly. There is in fact only one type of octopus that is known to have deadly venom to humans and that's the blue ringed octopus - stay well clear of them!
What else can we learn about these strange but intriguing sea creatures?
Octopus Fun Facts
1. Octopuses live in sea rocks and corals and are very territorial. They live alone and do not like anybody in their space!
2. Whilst on the subject of homes - octopuses build their own homes out of rocks using their super powerful arms and suckers. They can even build a door which they can pull closed when they are home to keep other creatures out.
3. Octopuses really don't want to be seen or caught. They shoot ink like fluid from their body which makes water murky so they can't been seen. They can also change colour to blend with their surroundings and can even leave an arm behind if it gets trapped in something - it just grows back!
4. They really are incredible at hiding from predators. Not only can they hide themselves as above but they can also imitate other sea animals like sea snakes and crabs to scare off predators!
Photo credit: Arhnue
5. We have only mentioned octopus arms - they do in fact have legs! 6 of their 8 limbs act as arms whereas the remaining 2 function more like legs which help them walk and push off the sea bed when swimming.
Photo credit: Erik Tanghe
6. Octopuses are seriously brainy...they in fact have 9 brains! 1 central brain and 8 smaller brans that control one limb each. They therefore have amazing problem solving abilities and long term memories.
7. Whilst on the subject of organs - an octopus has 3 hearts! 2 of them work solely to move blood between their gills and the other keeps blood circulating to the organs. Strangely, the heart which pumps blood to the organs stops when they swim which explains why they spend most of their time crawling which is less exhausting.
8. Ever heard of a giant octopus? They live in the pacific and measure 5 meters long and can weigh up to 50kg!
9. Octopuses are extremely doting mothers. They lay approximately 20,000 eggs and spend all their time protecting them. They are so devoted in fact that they forget to eat and die of starvation.
We hope you enjoyed our 10 octopus facts – keep an eye out for our next animal in the limelight in the next few weeks.
If your child would like their own miniature zebra of their own you can buy our Octopus bath toy.