Octopuses are pretty damn cool, am I right?

EUMCS Committee
Mar 23, 2021
4 min read

Octopus Hall of Fame:

Giant Pacific Octopus. (Source: Wayne Panepinto/National Geographic Your Shot)

Coconut Octopus. (Source: Mario Neumann/scuba.hamburg on Flickr)

Flapjack Octopus. (Source: Animal Spot, 2021)

Atlantic Pygmy Octopus. (Source: OctoLab TV, 2021)

Mimic Octopus (Source: Two Fish Divers, 2021)

Venomous blue-ringed octopus. (Source: Yusran Abdul Rahman/Shuttershock)

Blanket Octopus. (Source: Octolab TV, 2021)

Dumbo octopus. (Source: Octolab TV, 2021)

Caribbean Reef Octopus. (Source: Octolab TV, 2021)

Seven armed octopus. (Source: OctoLab TV, 2021)

Octopuses are phenomenal animals, as we have seen from the documentary, My Octopus Teacher (2020) by Craig Foster. If you have not yet had a chance to view it, we definitely recommend a watch, as this is a wonderful insight where you can see the striking features and astonishing talents of the octopus.

Here are 8 reasons why Octopuses are FABULOUS.

1) Freakishly Smart

Octopuses are exceptionally intelligent animals, with almost 70% of their 500 million brain cells dispersed around their regenerative, boneless bodies. As such, their eight tentacles have local control and sensory capabilities allowing them to taste and smell through their suction cups, as well as respond to stimuli up to an hour after being cut off from their bodies. What factors into an octopus's intelligence? Their ability to plan ahead, use tools, retain memories, and problem-solve. An example of their amazing learning and planning ability is that the octopus often carries coconut shells to protect themselves when going to environments without shelter. Like children, they have immense curiosity, they take things apart, put things together and explore. Also, as we see in the documentary they have the ability to distinguish humans from other animals, form emotional bonds and partake in playful pastimes This is particularly interesting considering how octopuses are solitary, and far from social, animals.

Octopus hiding in plain-sight by putting together sea-shells to make a “protective suit”

(Source: BBC/Blue Planet II, 2017).

2) Astonishing Ability to Camouflage

Octopuses are known as the “Masters of Disguise”. As we have already seen, this is partly accredited to their spatial awareness and ability to use tools. However, some findings suggest that octopuses are colourblind. Thus, their ability to camouflage is mostly due to the unique cells found under their layered skin.

Can you find the octopus in this image?

(Source Zvika Livnat/Science Illustrated, 2021).

Chromatophores are the cells that have the ability to change colours and lie just beneath the octopus’ skin. These cells have elastic sacs with red, black, brown or yellow pigments.

The pigment inside the cells appear when the muscle around the chromatophores tighten. In other animals, such as chameleons, this change is slow and controlled by hormonal changes. In octopuses, however, the chromatophores are controlled by the nervous system and the changes are practically instant. Though the function is also voluntary, it mostly operates in the automatic manner like our breathing or blinking.

Iridophores are a type of chromatophore that, like the name suggests, have iridescent effects. This means it creates a shimmering effect, like a soap-bubble, which appears to have different colours when viewing it from different angles.

Leucophores appear white, but have the ability to reflect any colour shining on to them.

(Source: Real Science/Youtube, 2020)

Finally, through papillae, some octopuses also have the ability to change the texture of their skin to enhance the camouflaging effect. Also, to top it all off, some other octopuses even have the ability to change their body shape and movement patterns to imitate other marine animals.

3) Blue Blood and stuff

While the iron-based human blood is red, the octopus’ copper-based blood is blue. They also have three hearts, two of which go to their gills. Octopuses prefer crawling on the seabed, because when the octopus swims, the heart that pumps blood to the rest of the body is inactive.

4) Underrated

Will open pickle jars for you.

5) Lethal Ink

Much like magicians who disappear in a cloud of smoke, the octopus will secrete their ink to distract, confuse and impair their predators. Mucus and melanin form the octopus' ink. The chemical compound, tyrosinase, found in melanin can impair predators sight, smell and taste. Combined with the mucus, this compound can block gills leading to fatal suffocation, which may even kill the octopus itself, if they are unable to escape their own ink cloud.

6) Orifices Beware:

Octopuses have soft, boneless, shell-free bodies.

“They can squeeze through any hole that is larger than their eyeball”

- Real Science/YouTube 2020

7) Ultra Cannibalistic

As a consequence of their reproductive process, octopuses usually only live for around one or two years. While mating, the female octopus often strangles the male and, afterwards, consumes him. The female octopus then starves herself to death upon laying her eggs. Many believe this has developed to prevent the octopus (who by nature are extremely cannibalistic) from eating their babies.

8) Shells? Not Anymore!

Octopus in coconut shells. (Source: Animal Spot, 2021).

Octopuses used to have hard shells covering their backs some 100 to 160 million years ago to protect themselves from predators. Research suggests that the loss of these shells contributes to the nimble, agile movement octopuses display today. Instead, as we have seen above, adaptability is the key feature defining the FABULOUS octopus we love today.

Don’t Forget to give this a watch!

(Source: Sea Change Project, 2019).

Written by: Marielle Wik (2021)

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