10 Things You Didn't Know About Octopuses
- 10 years ago
Check out these 10 little known facts about octopuses.
Fascinating, often beautiful, and yet always a bit creepy, octopuses have captured the interest and imaginations of authors, artists, and cephalopod enthusiasts, to name just a few.
Here are 10 little known facts about the 8-armed underwater wonders.
Number 10. They have 3 hearts. Two of them pump blood past the gills while the third sends it to the organs. The organ supplier shuts off when octopuses swim, making crawling the preferred method of getting from point A to point B.
Number 9. They’re blue blooded. That’s because theirs has a copper base, rather than iron. It’s what helps them survive the cold depths as copper is a more efficient oxygen carrier in low temperatures.
Number 8. The males die after mating. Egg fertilization happens externally via depositing sperm into a tube or literally handing it over to the female with one of its tentacles. Either way, afterwards the males who gave amble off and perish.
Number 7. Octopuses are really smart. Veined octopuses use coconut shells to build protective housing for themselves. Once stacked, the octopus travels with the structure by stiffening its tentacles around it and moving like it’s on stilts. Scientists liken the mastery of materials to the use of tools.
Number 6. Ever wondered why their super-suction tentacle powers don’t ever leave them tangled up like a ball? It’s because octopus skin has a natural chemical that prevents them from getting attached to themselves. A recent experiment showed that they didn't latch on when the chemical on their body part was still in place. But as soon as the chemical was removed, they latched on to it.
Number 5. Octopuses have quite a self-defense arsenal. Among the most effective trick in their bag is the ability to release a thick cloud of dark ink. Not only does this compromise a predator’s viewing abilities, it diminishes its sense of smell.
Number 4. The blue ringed variety can kill with a single bite. It’s so venomous, it can claim the life of an adult human in minutes. Unfortunately, they’re tiny so they’re tough to see. Even worse, there’s no anti-venom.
Number 3. Eating live octopus is a thing. In Korea diners feast on chopped-up tentacles that are still squirming and suctioning onto stuff. That includes the throat of the person who swallowed it, as the segments often attempt to climb their way up to freedom.
Number 2. Their lives are short. A regular octopus only survives for a year or two. Some of the bigger ones can be lucky enough to make it to 5.
Number 1. They’ve been around for a long time. The oldest known octopus fossil dates back almost 300 million years. Examinations of it have shown back then it had already established its unique shape and possibly even its inky defense system.
Fascinating, often beautiful, and yet always a bit creepy, octopuses have captured the interest and imaginations of authors, artists, and cephalopod enthusiasts, to name just a few.
Here are 10 little known facts about the 8-armed underwater wonders.
Number 10. They have 3 hearts. Two of them pump blood past the gills while the third sends it to the organs. The organ supplier shuts off when octopuses swim, making crawling the preferred method of getting from point A to point B.
Number 9. They’re blue blooded. That’s because theirs has a copper base, rather than iron. It’s what helps them survive the cold depths as copper is a more efficient oxygen carrier in low temperatures.
Number 8. The males die after mating. Egg fertilization happens externally via depositing sperm into a tube or literally handing it over to the female with one of its tentacles. Either way, afterwards the males who gave amble off and perish.
Number 7. Octopuses are really smart. Veined octopuses use coconut shells to build protective housing for themselves. Once stacked, the octopus travels with the structure by stiffening its tentacles around it and moving like it’s on stilts. Scientists liken the mastery of materials to the use of tools.
Number 6. Ever wondered why their super-suction tentacle powers don’t ever leave them tangled up like a ball? It’s because octopus skin has a natural chemical that prevents them from getting attached to themselves. A recent experiment showed that they didn't latch on when the chemical on their body part was still in place. But as soon as the chemical was removed, they latched on to it.
Number 5. Octopuses have quite a self-defense arsenal. Among the most effective trick in their bag is the ability to release a thick cloud of dark ink. Not only does this compromise a predator’s viewing abilities, it diminishes its sense of smell.
Number 4. The blue ringed variety can kill with a single bite. It’s so venomous, it can claim the life of an adult human in minutes. Unfortunately, they’re tiny so they’re tough to see. Even worse, there’s no anti-venom.
Number 3. Eating live octopus is a thing. In Korea diners feast on chopped-up tentacles that are still squirming and suctioning onto stuff. That includes the throat of the person who swallowed it, as the segments often attempt to climb their way up to freedom.
Number 2. Their lives are short. A regular octopus only survives for a year or two. Some of the bigger ones can be lucky enough to make it to 5.
Number 1. They’ve been around for a long time. The oldest known octopus fossil dates back almost 300 million years. Examinations of it have shown back then it had already established its unique shape and possibly even its inky defense system.