Octopuses are some of the most fascinating sea creatures known to man. Before we even look at the creature itself, the name basically gives you some clues, that is… if you can read Greek. The name is derived from the Greek language where it means eight-footed.
Oceans all over the world have a collection of more than 200 Octopuses residing in the coral reefs. They are invertebrates, meaning they do not have bones and thus lose their shape when pulled out water.
The following are 7 fascinating facts about the Octopuses that you probably don’t know.
An Octopus survives with three hearts
Octopuses have one large heart – one of the largest in the world – which is backed with two small ones. The smaller hearts are located near the gills and are used to draw more oxygen into the blood before it’s transferred to the bigger one. The oxygen-filled blood is then pumped to the rest of the body by the large heart.
Have a short lifespan
Some scientists are of the opinion that the Octopuses’ only flaw is their short lifespan. Most of them begin to die just after 1 year and none lives past 5 years. Once mating is done, the males usually wander off and die silently while the females die after hatching their eggs. Watching their lifespan gives you the impression that they have a switch that turns off after reproduction, causing their cells to die one after the other at a faster pace.
Your blood is red… theirs is BLUE!
Yes, the Octopuses have blue blood and it’s not because they are royalty. Unlike our blood that is rich in iron, theirs has lots of copper that efficiently transports oxygen in cold conditions.
They love shellfish for dinner
A typical Octopus diet is made up of mollusks, prawns and crabs. They have strong beaks that crash the hard shell. They may also use the drilling method where they make a hole in the shell after which they slurp the inner softer tissues.
Can change color
One of the other octopus survival mechanisms is the ability to blend into the environment by changing their color, just like the chameleon does.
Can never lose its arms
We know of a number of animals that regrow lost limbs such as the starfish and lizards. The Octopus also brags of this gift. As a survival mechanism, it often detaches an arm to keep off predators and then gets a new replacement!
Octopuses can fit is a bottle hole!
Talk of most flexible animals on earth and an octopus must make it to the list. Due to their lack skeleton, they are able to squeeze through any space they see fit. A large octopus can even sneak into a beer bottle.
Have detachable penis
The male’s third arm, referred to as the hectocotylus, is the octopus’s penis and it’s detachable. With every mating, the male loses its hectocotylus and cannot copulate again until the next season after it has re-grown.
