Sea Creatures 101: The Octopus: One Smart Sucker

Now - before you get alarmed, thinking that I’m being crude. Here’s what I mean: An octopus is smart (it is believed that octopuses have the intelligence of a three - year - old child), and females have about 240 suction cups on each of their eight arms. Males are missing suction cups on the lower part of one of their arms. That makes the octopus one smart sucker!

They are a talented bunch. A Northern Pacific octopus four feet long and weighing twelve pounds can move approximately 480 pounds. Because of this, aquariums that have octopus tanks will often take precautions to keep their octopus in its tank. At Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, http://www.underwateradventures.cc/ the octopus tank lid has weights on it to prevent the octopus from using its body and suction cups to push the lid up. Indoor/outdoor carpeting lines the top of the tank. An octopus can fit through a very small space, something no bigger than a quarter, and the carpeting will not allow the octopus to use its suction cups to grab.

Speaking of quarters - did you know that the beak of the octopus, its “mouth”, is about the size of a quarter and is very similar to a parrot’s beak. The beak is located inside the mouth. The octopus will grab food with its suckers and legs and wrap its whole body around it. The octopus then uses its beak to stun the food with a poison in the beak and eat the food.

In captivity an octopus can get bored easily. Ping-pong balls, children’s “shape” toys (lightweight balls with open spaces or blocks with large holes) keep an octopus on its toes. Northern Pacific octopuses are playful. Some will allow their handler to stroke their suckers or skin. Others, like the blue-ringed octopus found in Australia, are less than friendly. The toxin of this very small octopus is deadly to humans – but don’t worry. Chances are good that you will never meet up with one unless you see it in a public aquarium.

Raising and maintaining an octopus is a real challenge. If you are considering a home aquarium with an octopus, I would suggest clicking on this link: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/tcp/re... The author has nuts-and bolts information on how to set up an octopus tank.

There is so much more to tell about this amazing creature. Space does not permit all the information available. As I was gathering information, I came across other websites that were worth a look. For basic information about octopuses, try http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/octopus/. For information about cephalopods, (octopus, cuttlefish, and more) look at a wonderful website by Dr. James B. Wood.

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