Octopuses: Acrobats of the Sea

LET'S LEARN ABOUT THE OCTOPUS

Octopuses are sea animals famous for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes, and eight appendages. They live in a all the world's oceans but are especially abundant in warm, tropical waters. Octopuses, like their cousin the squid, are often considered "monsters of the deep," though some species occupy relatively shallow waters.

Most stay along the ocean's floor, although some are pelagic, which means they live near the water's surface. Other octopus species live in deep, dark waters, rising from below at dawn and dusk to search for food. Crabs, shrimps, and lobsters rank among their favorite foods, though some can attack larger prey, like sharks. Octopuses typically drop down on their prey from above and, using powerful suctions that line their arms, pull the animal into their mouth.

The octopus performs its famous backward swim by blasting water through a muscular tube on the body called a siphon. They also crawl along the ocean's floor, tucking their arms into small openings to search for food. Seals, whales, and large fish are their predators.

VIEW SHORT VIDEOS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OCTOPUS
Octopuses 101	Giant Pacific Octopus Adventure	<span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span> Extraordinary Octopus Takes to Land

MORE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE OCTOPUS
	If threatened, they'll shoot an inky fluid that darkens the water, confusing the aggressor. Another form of protection is its ability to change colors to gray, brown, pink, blue, or green to blend in with its surroundings. They may also change color as a way to communicate with other octopuses. They're solitary creatures that live in dens built from rocks, which it moves into place using its powerful arms. Octopuses sometimes even fashion a rock "door" for their den that pulls closed when the octopus is safely inside. Although they live and breathe underwater, the land is no obstacle for this extraordinary species. Most species can live out of water for up to an hour using its muscular mantle cavity to draw air into the pallial cavity, which is absorbed into the gill structure, which then extracts oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. They literally absorb oxygen through its skin, which can allow it to hunt on land if needed. How cool is that?!?
	Octopuses live relatively short lives with some species living for as little as six months, and others that may live for as much as five years. Their lives are limited by reproduction, which causes the breakdown of cellular function without repair or replacement. This happens to males after mating, and to females when they lay their eggs. Females will spend their time aerating and protecting their eggs until they hatch, refusing to eat throughout the process. They quickly weaken until they die. However, the Pacific Striped Octopus is an exception as they can reproduce more than once in their life. They're also HIGHLY intelligent with the ability to solve mazes and problem-solving experiments. they can store both short and long-term memory and able to do so without learning from a parent. They also have the ability to break out of aquariums, open bottles, play with toys, and more.

EVOLUTION OF OCTOPUS BODIES

They have no bones or shells.
They can camouflage themselves instantly.
They have a large brain and extensive nervous system found in their suction cups.
They have the ability to blend in with their surroundings by changing color, shape, and texture.
Octopuses have the ability to play and to plan ahead by collecting items that will help protect it from predators.

RECOMMENDED READING MATERIALS @ YOUR LIBRARY
	COWBOY & OCTOPUS by: Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith Call Number: E SCIESZKA Peanut butter and jelly. George and Martha. Frog and Toad. Cowboy and...Octopus? Yes, that's right. Meet Cowboy and Octopus - the next great pair to become a household name. Cowboy likes beans & bacon and bacon & beans. Octopus eats raw seafood. Octopus prefers knock-knock jokes, but Cowboy doesn't get them. How will these two ever be friends?
	THE OCTOPUS by: Denys Cazet Call Number: E CAZET Series: Grandpa Spanielson's Chicken Pox Stories Grandpa helps his favorite grandpup to avoid scratching his chicken pox by telling him how he once had to fight off an octopus during a terrible storm.
	UH-OH OCTOPUS! by: Elle van Lieshout Call Number: E VANLIESHOUT When a small octopus arrives home one day to find an intruder barricading his entrance, he asks other sea creatures for advice on what to do about the situation.
	INKY'S AMAZING ESCAPE: HOW A VERY SMART OCTOPUS FOUND HIS WAY HOME by: Sy Montgomery Call Number: J 594.5 MON Inky had been at the New Zealand aquarium since 2014 after being taken in by a fisherman who found him at sea. Inky had been getting used to his new environment, but the staff quickly figured out that he had to be kept amused or he would get bored. Then one night in 2016, Inky decided he'd had enough.
	THE OCTOPUS SCIENTISTS: EXPLORING THE MIND OF A MOLLUSK by: Sy Montgomery Call Number: J 594.5 MON Series: Scientists in the Field With three hearts and blue blood, its body unconstrained by jointed limbs or gravity, the octopus seems to be an inhabitant of another world. The octopus also has the powers of a superhero: it can shape shift, change color, squirt ink, pour itself through the tiniest of openings, or jet away through the sea faster than a swimmer.