Firstly, all octopuses are venomous to their prey, although only one species is known to be venomous to man. Octopuses pack enough weaponry to make a NATO general’s mouth water – they have a vast array of weapons, both defensive and offensive, to help them get by. This unique feature means that the octopus is the ultimate escapologist – it can squeeze its entire body through any hole that their beak will fit through. The body of an octopus is completely soft, and the only solid part of its body is the beak, located in the center of its head, where all the tentacles join the body. This system literally helps the octopus to avoid tripping over its own tentacles and getting entangled, and this cool feature also comes in handy when coordinating complex tasks and movements. If all that was still not good enough, your average run of the mill octopus has an incredibly complex nervous system with one central brain and each tentacle endowed with its own separate system capable of independent actions. In a similar manner to having eight legs – since obviously two or four are not good enough for our humble octopus – one heart is also not good enough, and octopuses are the proud owner of three functioning hearts. Belaying their royal status as the smartest of all invertebrates, they actually have blue blood. Your average octopus has some of the coolest evolved biology in the animal world. As a result of this dedication, the hapless mother usually dies of starvation shortly after her eggs have hatched. Most males die shortly after mating, while females will lay their eggs and fan them with their tentacles to keep them oxygenated until they hatch. Octopuses are some of the most dedicated parents in the animal kingdom with a life span of around one to two years, they live to mate only once. Octopuses come in a variety of shapes and sizes from the size of a tennis ball to the enormous Pacific giant octopus, with an arm span of 4.3 meters. So far, over three hundred species of octopuses have been identified worldwide, living everywhere in the ocean, from polar regions to the tropics, and inhabiting every depth from the surface of the sea down to several kilometers deep. Of all the invertebrates on the planet, the Octopus is considered to be the most highly evolved and the most intelligent by a long way. Within the phylum Mollusca, the Octopus is part of the class Cephalopod and the family Octopod (meaning eight legged). The octopus is part of the phylum Mollusca, which is the largest marine phylum, comprising nearly 23% of all marine life. Had it not been an invertebrate unable to support its weight out of the water, the octopus could have been one of the earth’s leading animals, colonizing every environment on earth. However, dismiss the humble octopus at your peril for as you’ll see this is a creature of abundant charm, intelligence and adaptability. It is neither big or graceful like a whale shark or a manta, nor is it as hyper colorful and cute as an ornate ghost pipefish or a nudibranch. When you first glance the humble octopus while diving, it seems interesting but does not have the wow factor that some other species have.
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