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© 2011 Ocean & Coastal Care Initiatives
© 2007 Ocean & Coastal Care Initiatives
Welcome to the feature creature page. Here you will find short articles on different marine creatures. A new article will be featured each month.
The Octopus
This month we look at the Octopus [Phylum Mollusca], which gets its name from the Greek word ëoktanoucí meaning ëeight legsí.
Octopuses are highly intelligent, predatory molluscs, and one of the largest and most complex invertebrates [animals without backbones]. They move about in several ways; one way is by jet propulsion. They expand the muscular sac surrounding the body and suck in water, then squirt it out through a tubular siphon above the head. This enables them to move very quickly backwards, they travel through the water head first and arms trailing behind. If threatened, one defence mechanism is to eject a cloud of ink to confuse their predators.
Octopus swimming by jet propulsion
They have three hearts, two of which pump blood through each of the gills, the other through the body. They have a relatively short lifespan. Some live for as little as six months. Males may only live a few months after mating, with the females dying shortly after their eggs have hatched. The octopus is a closer relative of the squid and cuttlefish. They have eight sucker bearing arms and feed on crabs, fish and other molluscs.
Cuttlefish-
They have a beak similar to a parrots beak and this is the only hard part of the body. For this reason the octopus can squeeze into very small spaces to hunt for food and escape from predators.
Be aware -
Enjoy our rock pool life but always respect our environment. To view more pictures visit our Octopus & Cuttlefish gallery.
Written by Robyn Aitkens
Photographs by Steve Lindfield and Chris Roberts
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