Octopuses are fascinating and intelligent sea creatures, that are found in the waters of temperate, tropical, and subtropical areas of the world. There are thought to be around 300 species of these invertebrates. Octopuses can squeeze through small gaps much smaller than their body, as they don’t have bones.
Octopus Fun Facts
Octopuses have two eyes, they are technically colorblind, like squids and other cephalopods, and are able to imitate color to deter predators or to confuse their prey.
Octopus has a large head and eight long arms like tentacles, with two rows of sensitive suckers, with these suckers an octopus can taste what it touches, as well as attach itself to objects to climb. It can move each arm and each sucker cups separately
Whilst the body of the octopus is soft, it has a hard beak, resembling that of a parrots beak, it uses the beak to break into hard to eat prey like crabs and shellfish
Octopuses have blue blood, nine brains, and three hearts. Two of its hearts pump blood to the gills, and the third heart circulates blood around the body. Compared to other invertebrates an octopus is more intelligent
Defense.
Octopuses are able to eject black ink to distract the predator and make a quick getaway using a jet propulsion system like a squid. They are also able to camouflage by changing the color of their skin to blend into to the surroundings, this technique can be used to communicate with other octopuses. Sometimes an octopus will shed part of its arm to escape from predators but is able to grow it back again.
Octopuses can live up to about five years. After mating the males die a few months later. The females can lay more then 100,000 eggs but only a few baby octopuses survive. The female will only reproduce once, as the octopus dies of starvation after brooding is over.
