It feels right that we should today celebrate International Octopus Day (8th October)
Octopuses are remarkably intelligent and adaptable just like our team here.
Octopuses are worthy of appreciation for a number of reasons. First of all, they are one of the earth’s great survivors. Indeed, despite their relatively short lifespan, octopus fossils date back more than 300 million years, meaning that they pre-date even dinosaurs.
Octopuses are members of the class Cephalopoda, which means ‘head foot’ in Greek, while the name ‘octopus’ comes from the Greek word ‘októpus,’ meaning ‘eight foot.’ Octopuses have eight arms, which more often than not have suction cups at the bottom. The arms have clusters of neurons in them, which allow different arms to do different tasks at the same time. These neuron clusters may be considered to be brains. Thus, octopuses have nine brains, having a central one that controls their nervous system and one in each arm.
Octopuses have not just one, but three hearts! Two for moving blood to the gills and the other for pumping blood through the rest of the body. They are highly intelligent and have been known to perform tasks ranging from opening jars to using tools. They are incredibly flexible, are great at hiding, and can be found in every ocean in the world.
In addition, octopuses are visually stunning, coming in various colors, a multitude of sizes, and all sorts of shapes. Some live in the very shallow waters of the sea, while others can be found thousands of meters below the surface. Sometimes called the chameleons of the sea, octopuses are often able to change colors to blend in with their surroundings as a form of protection against predators.
Recent Comments