The Most Intelligent Invertebrate

 

Types of Octopuses

There are about 300 different species of octopuses.

• Giant Pacific Octopus - Octopuses don't get more extensive than the giant Pacific octopus. The most enormous octopus ever recorded was over 600 pounds and had a 30 ft arm span. This species of octopus is found along the Pacific, stretching from the Gulf of California, Alaska, Japan, and into China's coastline. 

• Flapjack Octopus - Flapjacks are an umbrella species of octopus. Umbrella species have a web of skin between tentacles. The flapjack octopus gets its name because its webbing connects outward to the ends of its tentacles making it look like a flapjack.

• Atlantic Pygmy Octopus - This octopus's arms reach about 4 inches. This makes it one of the smaller species of octopus. They are found in the Gulf of Mexico. They are known to change their skin colors to mimic their surroundings. 

• Blue-ringed Octopus - The blue-ringed octopus isn't a species, but rather a genus (group). This octopus has blue rings across its body that are really bright. Blue-ringed octopuses are extremely venomous and their bite contains the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. Scientists don't have an antidote for their venom. If someone were to be bitten by this octopus, the paralysis lasts about 15 hours and may require intubation for survival. Although these octopuses are not aggressive, it is just defensive attack. 

Appearance

Octopuses have a saccular body, which means that their head is only slightly defined from their body. They have eight contractile arms and each one of them contains two rows of fleshy suckers. Their arms are joined at their bases by a web of tissue that's known as a skirt. An octopuses' mouth is found in the center of the skirt and doesn't contain teeth, but instead has a pair of sharp beaks and a file-like organ known as a radula. Octopuses' soft bodies can change shape, allowing them to squeeze through very small spaces, even the largest species. Octopuses have a hollow, bulbous mantle that is fused to the back of their head; that contains most of their vital organs, such as their gills. Their eyes are located on the top of the head. The largest octopus ever recorded had a 30-foot arm span and weighed 600 lbs. The smallest ever recorded weighed less than one gram and measured about one inch in length. A distinctive feature of octopuses is that they have three hearts. Two of their hearts pump blood through their gills, and the other one pumps blood throughout the body of the octopus. Octopuses move in many different ways. They crawl using their front two arms and using the other six for foraging. They swim by moving water through their siphons. Octopuses are known for ejecting ink they inject ink into predators; a cloud of ink that is black. For some species, their ink is venomous that can paralyze the sensory organs of the attacker. Only one species is venomous to humans, the blue-ringed octopus. Octopuses have an excellent sense of touch. The suction cups on their legs can taste whatever they touch. Octopuses are the most intelligent invertebrate animals. 

Diet

Octopuses are mostly carnivorous animals. Crabs and crustaceans usually make up most of their diet. Also, lobsters are also consumed by octopuses. Some species are known to eat plankton. Bottom-dwelling species of octopus primarily live off of crustaceans, Polychaeta worms, and clams. Open-ocean species of octopus primarily consume other cephalopods, prawns, and fish. When feeding, they bring their prey back to their dens and use their radula to drill. shells and rasp away flesh. They use their beaks, which are very sharp, to tear apart prey. 

Habitat

Octopuses live in tropical and temperate seas, worldwide. They usually live in dens that are found in holes or crevices along the rocky bottom of the sea. Many species of octopuses are found in places like coral reefs, seabeds, and coastal waters. Other species can also be found in intertidal zones, and in abyssal depths. The dumb octopus lives 13,000 ft below the surface. 

Reproduction and Lifespan 

Females lay their eggs in holes and under rocks. They can lay around 100,000 eggs at one time! It takes between four to eight weeks for like for the eggs to hatch. During the four to eight weeks, the female octopus guards the eggs and cleans them. She agitates them with water. Once they hatch tiny octopuses emerge. They spend many weeks drifting in the plankton before taking refuge along the bottom of the sea. Parents don't care for their young. Most species of octopus mate during the winter. Octopuses have a really short lifespan some living only six months. Males only live for a few months and females usually die after their eggs are hatched.

Thank you for reading this long and interesting article. I really loved researching octopuses, they are super fascinating. I hope you enjoyed reading about them and learned a lot from this article. Please share this with your friends and family. Here is the link to my youtube channel and the video related to the article:

The Informative Zoologist

12 Fun Facts About Octopuses