10 Awesome Facts About Octopus

Everyone knows about octopus, right? They are one of the most popular creatures on the planet, thanks largely to their eight distinct arms with suckers on them. However, that’s the only known fact by the majority of the people. Aside from their famous eight arms, they still have some ace up their sleeve; they quite have some interesting facts about them that most people don’t even know exist.

Octopuses, although popular, aren’t well-known by people aside from their eight arms. However, they are quite a fascinating creature, to say the least, and if you want to know more about our eight-armed friends, be our guest! In this article, we will list ten awesome facts about an octopus that will leave you in shock! To learn more, read further down below.

About Octopus

Octopus belongs to the order of Octopoda, which has 289 combined species. The octopus name comes from the Greek word octopus, meaning eight foot. Octopuses are well known for having their eight arms, some people thought of these as tentacles, but they’re not. These are called appendages. 

At the bottom of each arm, almost all octopuses have suction cups. Almost 75% of the octopus’ neurons lie in their arms, meaning one arm can do one thing, and the other arm can do something as well.

Octopuses are renowned for their impressive touch senses; their suction cups have receptors to taste what it touches. Most octopuses don’t have shells or skeletons in their body, especially species from the Incirrata suborder. This unique anatomy makes them agile and elusive creatures of the ocean. They can easily pass through cracks and crevices without many problems.

They have a bulbous sac-like body called the mantle and is placed on top of its head. Furthermore, the only part of their body that is hard enough is their beak, which is situated on the underside where all of the arms converge. Their powerful jaws are widely studied, and they possess venomous saliva, which renders their prey powerless and immediately eaten.

Top 10 Facts About Octopus

Here are 10 awesome facts about octopus that will blow your mind. 

Three Hearts

An octopus has three hearts. One heart is mainly used to pump blood through its organs, while the other two pump blood through its gills. That’s why octopuses have blue blood because of hemocyanin, a copper-based protein. One of the reasons why octopuses prefer to crawl rather than swim is because the heart that pumps blood to its organ stops delivering, and in return, exhausts them easily.

They Are Incredibly Old

The oldest known fossil ever possessed dates back to 296 million years ago. Yes, you read that right, 296 million years ago! That type of specimen is in the Pohlsepia species and is displayed at the field museum in Chicago. This means that octopuses were already established long before the dinosaurs arrived, and their unique appearance is a testament to it.

A Mind Of Their Own

As mentioned earlier, octopus species have two-thirds of their neurons in their arms and not on its head, much like other species. As a result, these arms have a mind of their own and can do multiple tasks each time. In other words, one arm can survey a cave, and the other hand is busy opening up small shells.

Dangerous Ink

When octopuses are threatened, they spew a cloud of ink to plot their escape. But, there’s more to it than just that. It contains tyrosinase, a compound in humans that aids in the production of melanin. On the other hand, when that ink is sprayed towards a would-be predator, it irritates the predator's eye. The ink is potent enough to let the octopus escape while the predator still deals with the irritation.

After Mating, The Writings Are On The Wall

After an octopus is done mating, for male octopuses, they die, whereas the female octopus lay their eggs and eventually die. Males gather up and inject their sperm into a funnel in which the female octopus breathes. In return, the female octopus accepts their sperms. 

After that, the male octopus wanders off into the depths of the ocean until it dies. On the other hand, the female octopus tends to her eggs until they hatch. Once hatched, the female octopus eventually dies.

Masters Of Mimicry

It is one of the famous defense mechanisms to avoid being preyed upon. Then they can easily camouflage to their surroundings to avoid predators. It is also one of the reasons why they are quite the survivalists.

They Can Regrow Their Limbs

If an octopus has a severed arm, there’s no problem about it. Octopus is one of the few creatures here on earth that has quite the regenerative process. So when it loses its arm, the regenerative process kicks in, and the new arms will eventually form as most lizards do.

Deadly

Australia’s blue-ringed octopus is one of the deadliest creatures on the planet. Although it is relatively small, it packs a great punch. A blue-ringed octopus’ venom is enough to kill about 26 humans. This is because of a venom called tetrodotoxin that is quite powerful than cyanide.

They Only Live Once

For all of their impressive abilities and appearance, octopuses live a relatively short life. Their average lifespans can reach up to 3 to 5 years; some species even have shorter lifespans that can stretch just up to a few months.

They Are Carnivores

Despite their appearance, they are carnivores and love to eat meat. Their primary diet consists of clams, shrimps, small crustaceans, small fishes, and even birds! Typically, an octopus swarms its prey with its arms delivering it to its mouth.

Conclusion

Octopus is a famous marine creature for various reasons, but what makes them popular is their unique appearance like no other. However, despite their appearance, they have some interesting pieces up their sleeve. From having three hearts to dying once they mate, they are, without a doubt, one of the fascinating creatures in the world.

Hopefully, the facts about octopus have helped you understand more about what they're like. In addition, it will make you understand how you’ll deal with them when you get to encounter them.

What’s more amazing is that octopus looks adorable when worn as an accessory!

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