Fascinating Facts on the Octopuses

… are a part of the animal group called cephalopods, a term adapted from ancient Greek that means – literally – head-foot

… have short lifespans. Depending on the species, from 6 months to the maximum of 5 years.

… have 3 hearts! One main heart and two smaller ones at the base of their gills.

… have blood blue in colour

… can use jet propulsion to move around

… can change colour and body shape in only a few seconds

… are one of only a small number of species capable of using tools

… release a cloud of ink when threatened. The ink doesn’t serve only to hide the octopus, but also confuses predators’ sense of smell and taste

… use colour to adapt to their environment, but also to express their mood (white – fear, red – anger)

… reproduce only once in their life. Mother octopus watches over her eggs until they hatch and does not eat for that entire time, and she dies shortly afterwards

… can have up to 240 suckers on each of their arms, and the largest suckers can hold as much as 15 kg weight

… are carnivores and feed on crabs, shellfish, fish, sea snails, and even on other octopuses

… are generally solitary animals. In most species, they will avoid the company of other octopuses, and memebers of only a few species live in communities

… have taste receptors on suckers on their arms

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