Document

Why we should love octopuses?

World Octopus Day celebrates one of the most distinctive creatures living on the planet today.

World Octopus Day is an annual observance held on October 8th of every year. It’s a day for those Octopus enthusiasts. It is vital to celebrate the most distinctive animals of the planet with a day. The World Octopus Day marks the celebration of the eight-armed creature.

Octopuses are sea animals known for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes, and eight long arms. They live in 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, or types, occupy relatively shallow waters.

Out of the 800 identified living species of cephalopods, 300 of those species are octopuses! In total, an octopus has 500 million neurons, located in both its brain and throughout its arms. In addition to grabbing onto prey and climbing rocky underwater structures, an octopus uses its suckers to taste and sense.

Octopuses have three hearts

An octopus has three hearts. One pumps blood through its organs; the two others pump blood through its gills. Octopus blood is blue because it has a copper-based protein called hemocyanin.

The organ heart actually stops beating when the octopus swims, explaining the species’ penchant for crawling rather than swimming, which exhausts them.

Octopuses and Toxin

The natural habitat of the Octopus continues to be put at risk due to pollution. They can’t live well in areas where there are lots of toxins. They have a hard time finding enough food in those locations. It can also be unsafe for the females to lay their eggs in such a region. Sometimes the efforts of humans result in the Octopus having to relocate if they are going to be able to survive.

Due to octopuses have a very short life span; they don’t do well in captivity. Being in captivity can create nervous system problems for them as well as so much stress they won’t eat. Some people do try to keep them as pets in aquariums but it very seldom works for very long. They can also take the lids off and escape, which can occur even when a great design is in place. They are well known for their ability to escape.

5 Reasons why we should love Octopuses

Octopuses are one of the most interesting sea creatures. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate these crazy creatures. Here are 5 reasons we love octopuses:

They’re so pretty

Almost all cephalopods change colors. They can change their color and texture of the skin to blend with environment and become invisible. They use this skill for mating, communication, and disguise. Sometimes they even change patterns. Here’s the crazy part, though: most cephalopods themselves are probably color-blind. They have special cells called iridophores that act as mirrors and allow them to reflect the colors in their environment. As if this weren’t enough to disguise themselves, some cephalopods use their wobbly bodies to their advantage in taking on different shapes, blending in with sandy ocean floors or knobby coral reefs.

Variety in size and shape

The Giant Pacific Octopus lives in the coastal waters off of British Columbia and is the largest octopus in the world. The largest one caught weighed 600 pounds and its tentacles spanned 33 feet! By contrast, the world’s smallest octopus (Octopus wolfi) weighs less than a gram and could easily perch on the end of your finger.

They’re smart!

Octopuses are among the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom, some experts consider the octopus to be the world’s most intelligent animal, it gives them an edge when it comes to survival. The coconut octopus, for example can stroll around on two legs to carry objects like coconut shells that they use to build defences where they live. It’s a great example of tool use in an invertebrate.

They are vital to the ecosystem.

Octopuses and other cephalopods play a crucial role in food webs, acting as both major predators and prey. Octopuses eat fish, crabs and molluscs, whilst providing an important food source for many sharks, eels, and dolphins.

They are useful

For decades, scientists have used cephalopod axons (the part of a nerve cell that transmits messages away from the cell body) for neurological study. The axons of Loligo pealeii are big enough to be seen without a microscope and are similar to those found in humans. Researchers hope to apply their findings to human diseases and disorders that affect the brain.

Source :