Facts About Octopus Introduction, Facts And Physiology
An octopus is a marine animal with eight arms. The number of octopus species and subspecies is around 150. Check this article to know more facts about Octopus.
Jasdeep Bhatia21 May, 2024
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Facts About Octopus: If you are looking for Octopus , you have come to the right place!
The topic “Facts About Octopus” will be covered in this article. An octopus is an eight-armed aquatic creature. There are more than 150 different octopus species and subspecies. They are a member of the mollusc family of creatures, including squid, clams, and oysters. Oceans all across the world are home to octopuses. Large eyes and a soft, bag-like body characterise an octopus. It reaches out in all directions with its long, delicate arms. Two rows of powerful suckers in the shape of cups are on each arm.Introduction
The name "octopus" refers to a soft-bodied aquatic creature with eight arms and a bulbous head. "Octopus" is a Greek word that originally meant "eight." These aquatic or marine species are classified into the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda, and Genus Octopus since they lack skeletal systems. The World Animal Foundation estimates that there are between 289 and 300 different species of octopus. As carnivores, octopuses eat various animals in their environment, such as clams, mussels, shrimp, lobsters, fish, sharks, and even birds. All oceans have these animals, which typically reside in shells, crevices, and reefs on the sea floor.Facts About Octopus
Octopuses are way old
The oldest fossilised octopus is thought to date from the Carboniferous epoch, about 296 million years ago. The specimen is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago and is a member of the Pohlsepia species. Harmon Courage calls it a "globular splat" or a "flattened cow patty," but upon closer examination, the eight arms and two eyes become obvious as the obvious identification. Uncertainty among researchers suggests that there may also be an ink sack there. In other words, octopuses had already defined their structure for millions of years before life on land evolved past tiny pre-dinosaur reptiles.Octopuses have three hearts
While the other two only convey blood past the animal's gills, the third heart keeps the organs' blood flow steady. The octopus' organ heart stops beating while it swims, which explains why the species prefers to crawl because swimming exhausts them.The plural of octopus is octopuses
The Greek word októpus, which means "eight foot," is where the word "octopus" originates. Because of its Greek origins, the word can also be pluralised as a Greek word, which is determined by a noun's gender and the letter it ends on. In this instance, a -es is merely appended. So, Harmon Courage notes, no octopi, octopodes, or octopuses.Aristotle thought octopuses were dumb
"The octopus is a stupid creature, for it will approach a man's hand if it is lowered in the water," the Greek philosopher wrote in his History of Animals, published in 350 BC. After listing a few more peculiarities of octopus life history—such as the fact that it can crawl on land, is slimy, and ejects ink as a kind of self-defence—he flippantly concludes, "So much for the Mollusca."Octopus arms have a mind of their own
Two-thirds of an octopus's neurons are located in its limbs, not its head. Because of this, the arms can figure out how to open a mussel while their owners are preoccupied with something else, like exploring a cave for additional edibles. Even after being severed, the arms can still respond. In one experiment, researchers wrenched away in agony when they pinched severed arms.Octopus ink doesn’t just hide the animal
Enemies are also physically harmed by the ink. It contains tyrosinase, which aids in regulating the human body's natural melanin production. Tyrosinase, however, can irritate a predator's eyes to the point of blindness. Additionally, it muddles an animal's sense of taste and smell. The protective mixture is so powerful that octopuses trapped in their ink cloud risk dying.Environmental Issues and Solutions
Octopuses have blue blood
Octopuses developed hemocyanin, a copper-based blood pigment that renders their blood blue, to survive in the deep ocean instead of iron-based blood. When the water temperature is really low, and there isn't much oxygen present, this copper base is more effective in transporting oxygen than haemoglobin. They are, however, also made very sensitive to variations in acidity by this system. If the pH of the surrounding water falls too low, octopuses will not be able to circulate enough oxygen. As a result, scientists are concerned about what may happen to the animals due to ocean acidification brought on by climate change.After mating, the octopus dies
Octopus mating and motherhood are fleeting events, and they perish soon after. It uses external fertilisation to reproduce. Males either deliver her the sperm, which she always accepts with one of her right arms, or they implant their spermatophores directly into the tubular funnel that she uses to breathe (researchers do not know why). Males then wander off to die. The females can produce up to 400,000 eggs, which they meticulously guard and care for.Physiology of Octopus
Size
The largest species of octopus is the enormous Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini). Adults typically weigh 15 kg (33 lb) or less and have an arm span of up to 4.3 m. (14 ft). The animal with a live mass of 71 kg was the largest example of this species to be officially reported (156.5 lb). The enormous Pacific octopus has been reported at far larger sizes: one specimen was measured at 272 kg (600 lb) with a 9 m arm span (30 ft). The seven-arm octopus, Haliphron atlanticus's carcass, weighed 61 kg (134 lb), and its live mass was believed to have been 75 kg (165 lb).External Characteristics
The octopus has an elongated body and is bilaterally symmetrical along its dorsoventral (back to belly) axis. Its head and foot serve as the animal's anterior (front). The mouth and brain are parts of the head. A webbed structure at their base connects the foot's flexible, prehensile "arms," which have evolved to encircle the mouth. The "arms" are connected by the foot.Circulatory System
The three hearts of the octopus species stay inside the vessels, as do the blood-circulatory tissues. One of these is the primary systemic heart, which pumps blood throughout the body. Near the gills are the remaining two brachial hearts. The branchial hearts continue to beat, while the systemic heart ceases in an octopus while it is swimming. Because of this, the animal becomes easily exhausted and prefers to crawl. According to the octopus, hemocyanin is present in the blood in the circulatory system. It is a copper-rich pigment made from oxygen- and carbon dioxide-carrying blood often seen in molluscs. The blood becomes exceedingly thick due to this pigment. This explains why an octopus' heart is so powerful since pumping viscous blood demands a lot of energy.Respiration
Through an aperture, water is drawn into the mantle cavity, transported through the gills, and expelled through the syphon during respiration. The mantle wall's radial muscles flex to let water enter, and when powerful circular muscles drive the water out through the syphon, flapper valves close. The respiratory muscles are supported by extensive connective tissue lattices, allowing them to extend the breathing chamber.Related Links -
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Q1. How come octopuses glow at night?
Ans: The Glowing Sucker Octopus's primary uses of bioluminescence appear to be a combination of "luring action" to draw planktonic crustaceans, and a defence strategy, to frighten predators.
Q2. How many brains are there in a giant Pacific octopus?
Ans: The enormous Pacific octopus has three hearts, nine brains, and blue blood, making reality weirder than fiction. In addition, each of its eight arms has a tiny brain, which is thought by biologists to control movement.
Q3. Are there bones in octopuses?
Ans: They can maintain body rigidity thanks to their hydrostatic skeleton. Since they use the incompressibility of water to convey force rather than having any bones, backbones, or vertebrae, they are classified as invertebrates.
Q4. What environment do octopuses inhabit?
Ans: They are present in every ocean globally but particularly common in warm, tropical environments. Like its cousin, the squid, octopuses are frequently called "monsters of the deep" even though some species or variants live in very shallow waters.
Q5. How does an octopus sleep?
Ans: Octopuses remain immobile during deep slumber; their skin is pallid, and their eyes have shrunk into firmly shut slits. Active sleep is noticeably different from normal sleep in that it is characterised by skin tone and texture alterations, eye flicker movements, contracting suckers on the arms, and body twitches.
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