The Octopus

Octopuses (sometimes called octopi) are members of a group of animals called mollusks. Mollusks have soft bodies and a mantle (a type of covering somewhat like a robe). They may have one or two shells, or none at all. The group includes clams, slugs, snails, squid, octopus, and cuttlefish among others.

Their name comes from two words, octo meaning eight, and pous meaning foot. Octopuses do not have shells. They have eight legs, each with several row of suckers.  They have a huge brain for their size and very large, well developed eyes. You can find them in every ocean. They can range in size from 1 inch to over 9 feet long!

Octopus love to eat fish, crabs, and other ocean creatures. They catch them in their arms and pull them toward their mouth which is located at the center of their many arms. They have a beak that looks a lot like a bird’s beak that can rip their prey into bite-sized pieces.

They move by squirting water through a tube called a siphon. If they get scared, they can also shoot a cloud of ink from a special ink sac. This confuses an attacker and also hides them as they make a quick get-away.  If they choose to, they can actually make their skin look the same color as the rocks and plants around them. They can even make their skin look bumpy so they can blend in even better!

Octopuses are very intelligent. They have been known to actually unscrew jars to get to tasty treats left inside. They are amazing escape artists and can survive for short periods out of water as long as they stay wet. One aquarium keeper noticed that his fish in a tank across from his octopus tank kept disappearing. He finally set up a camera and found out that his octopus was crawling out of its tank,  crawling across the floor and into the other tank. It would eat one of the fish and then sneak back to his own tank!

Octopus moms lay eggs and stay with them until they hatch. She may not even get to eat! Baby octopus are so tiny! As soon as they hatch. They go looking for something to eat. Soon they grow into big octopuses and swim away.

I have attached a couple videos and a coloring page. I hope you like our visit with octopuses!

Love Papaw.