Origin of the species and description

Octopuses (aka octopuses) are the most common representatives of the cephalopod order. Theutologists, scientists who study octopuses, distinguish two main orders that differ in their way of life: benthic and nomadic. For the most part, octopuses are bottom-dwelling creatures.

The body of an octopus consists entirely of soft tissue, therefore, in terms of paleontology, research on the origin of octopuses is difficult - after death, they immediately decompose, leaving no traces in the layer. However, European paleontologists discovered the remains of an octopus imprinted in the once soft soil rocks in the territory.

Video: Octopus

These traces were left approximately 95 million years ago. The remains of these octopuses are in no way different from modern octopuses - the prints were accurate, right down to the structure of the stomach. There are also other types of fossil octopuses, but the sensational discovery revealed that octopuses have not changed over millions of years of existence.

The following representatives also belong to the order of cephalopods:

• nautiluses;
• cuttlefish;
• squid.

Interesting fact: Squids are the most major representatives cephalopods. In 2007, a female colossal squid was caught that weighed about 500 kg.

The name “cephalopod” was not obtained by chance: several (usually eight) tentacle limbs grow from the head of a representative of the order. It is also common that cephalopods do not have chitinous shells or have a very thin chitinous coating, which in no way protects them from external influences.

Appearance and features

Octopuses are made entirely of soft fabric. Its “head” has an oval shape, from which eight movable tentacles grow. The mouth with jaws that resemble the beak of a bird is located at the point where all the tentacles converge - the octopuses grab the victim and pull it into its center. The anus is located under the mantle, a leathery sac behind the squid.

The octopus's pharynx is ribbed, called the “radula,” and functions as a grater for food. The octopus' tentacles are connected by a thin, stretchy membrane. Depending on the size of the octopus, its tentacles may have one or three rows of suckers. An adult octopus has a total of about 2 thousand suckers, each of which can hold about 100 grams of weight.

Interesting fact: Octopus suction cups do not work like man-made suction cups - in a vacuum. The octopus attaches itself using muscle effort.

The octopus is also interesting because it has three hearts. The first drives blood throughout the body, and the other two hearts act as gills, pushing blood through for respiration. Some species of octopuses have poison, and the blue-ringed octopuses that live on the coast are among the most poisonous in the world.

Interesting fact: Octopuses have blue blood.

Octopuses have absolutely no bones or any kind of frame, which allows them to freely change shape. They can spread out along the bottom and disguise themselves as sand, or they can climb into the neck of a bottle or a narrow crevice in the rocks. Octopuses are also capable of changing their color to suit their environment.

Octopuses vary in size. The smallest representatives can reach a length of 1 cm, the largest - (Doflein's octopus) - 960 cm with a mass of 270 kg.

Where does the octopus live?

They can be found in warm waters seas and oceans at different depths.

Octopuses choose the following places for comfortable settlement:

• deep bottom, where it comfortably disguises itself as stones and sand;
• sunken objects with many secluded places;
• reefs;
• rocks.

Octopuses hide in small crevices and secluded places, and can also hunt there. Sometimes an octopus can climb into a shell left by crustaceans and sit there, but octopuses themselves never establish permanent homes.

The maximum depth at which octopuses can comfortably live is 150 m, although deep-sea representatives genus can descend 5 thousand meters down, like squids. Occasionally, octopuses can be found in cold waters, where they behave extremely sleepy.

Octopuses can swim, although they don't like to do so - swimming creates a vulnerable situation where the octopus is easy to grab. Therefore, they move along the bottom using tentacles. There are no obstacles for octopuses in the form of steep rocks and vertical surfaces - the octopus makes its way along them using suction cups and grabbing onto any objects with its tentacles.

When swimming, they move slowly because they use the cuttlefish method: they take water into their mouth and push it out. Due to their slowness, they mostly hide in shelters and move when absolutely necessary.

What does an octopus eat?

Octopuses are convinced predators that are capable of swallowing almost any prey, even those larger than themselves. A hungry octopus waits patiently in a secluded place, changing its color to camouflage. When prey swims by, it makes a sharp lunge, trying to grab it with all its tentacles at once.

Speed ​​is very important in this matter - a strong opponent can break free of his grip. Therefore, the octopus immediately pulls the prey into its mouth. Its beak bites the victim if it does not fit into the mouth, and the pharynx performs a chewing function - it crushes food into small pieces.

Interesting fact: Poisonous octopuses They extremely rarely use poison to kill prey - this is more of a defense mechanism than a device for hunting.

Most often, octopuses feed on the following representatives of the ocean fauna:

• any fish, including poisonous ones;
• crustaceans, which sometimes give serious resistance to octopuses;
• the octopus's favorite delicacy is lobsters, lobsters and crayfish, which, upon seeing a formidable predator, strive to swim away from it as quickly as possible;
• sometimes large octopuses can catch small ones;
• Cannibalism is not a rare phenomenon among octopuses. Stronger individuals often eat smaller ones.

There are times when the octopus does not calculate its strength when attacking a particular victim, or it itself tries to eat the octopus. Then a fight ensues, in which the octopus may lose a tentacle. But octopuses are weakly susceptible to pain, and their tentacles grow quickly.

Features of character and lifestyle

Octopuses are dedicated loners, very attached to their territory. They lead a sluggish, sedentary lifestyle, running from place to place only when necessary: ​​when there is not enough food in the old territory, when enemies have appeared around, or when they are looking for a partner.

Octopuses consider each other competitors, so one octopus tries to avoid the territory in which another octopus lives. If a collision does occur and the trespasser is in no hurry to leave, a fight may occur in which one octopus risks being injured or eaten. But such collisions are extremely rare.

During the day, octopuses hide in a shelter, and at night they go out into more open spaces to hunt. Octopuses like to choose various traces of human activity as homes: boxes, bottles, car tires etc. They live in such houses for a long time. There is cleanliness around the octopus's house: they remove excess debris and dead algae, as if sweeping the surroundings with a stream of water. They put leftovers and garbage in a separate pile.

In the winter, octopuses descend to the depths, in the summer they live in shallow water, and they can sometimes be found on the shore - octopuses are often thrown out by waves.

Social structure and reproduction

Twice a year, the female begins to look for a male to mate with. They form strong couple and they find a home together, which they arrange in such a way that it is comfortable to keep an eye on the eggs. Typically, such housing is located in shallow waters.

Octopuses do not have courtship and fights for a female. The female herself chooses the male with whom she wants to have offspring: due to her lazy lifestyle, this is usually the closest male she can find.

The female lays about 80 thousand eggs. She stays with the offspring and zealously protects the clutch. Incubation period lasts 4-5 months, during which the female does not go hunting, becomes completely exhausted and, as a rule, dies from exhaustion by the time the children appear. The male also takes part in the life of future children, protecting the female and eggs, as well as removing dirt and all kinds of debris from them.

After emergence, the larvae are left to their own devices; for the first two months they eat plankton and swim with the current. Thus, they often become food for cetaceans that feed on plankton. At two months the larva becomes an adult and begins to lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Rapid growth allows many individuals to survive. At the age of four months, an individual octopus can weigh 1-2 kilograms. In total, octopuses live 1-2 years, males live up to 4 years.

Natural enemies of the octopus

From natural enemies The octopus can be identified by those who pose the greatest danger to it:

• sharks, including reef sharks;
• , and fur seals;
• and often play with octopuses, eventually eating them or leaving them alive;
• some large fish.

If an octopus is found by a predator in a state of secrecy, the first thing it will do is try to swim away. Many species release clouds of ink at the enemy and then swim away - this is how the octopus buys time until the enemy sees it or is in a state of shock. Also, for the purpose of self-preservation, octopuses hide in narrow crevices and wait until the enemy leaves.

Another unique way of protecting the octopus is autotomy. When the enemy grabs the creature by the tentacle, the octopus deliberately detaches it from the body and flees. This is similar to how a lizard sheds its tail if it is grabbed by it. The tentacle subsequently grows back.

Interesting fact: Some octopuses have been observed engaging in autocannibalism—eating their own tentacles. This is due to a disease of the nervous system, in which the octopus, experiencing the slightest hunger, eats the first thing that, literally, “comes to hand.”

Scientists believe that octopuses are the most intelligent species of invertebrates. They show intelligence and observation in all kinds of experiments. For example, octopuses can open jars and primitive latches; Individual octopuses are able to put cubes and circles into certain holes that match in shape. The high intelligence of these creatures makes them rare prey for sea ​​creatures, most of which do not have this indicator.

Population and species status

Octopus is the subject of a large fishery for food. In general, the global catch of octopus per year is about 40 thousand tons, and it is mainly caught on the coasts and.

Eating octopus has become an almost worldwide trend, although Asians were the first to eat it. In Japanese cuisine, octopus is not the most valuable, but a popular meat. Octopuses are also eaten alive by cutting them into pieces and eating the moving tentacles.

Octopus is rich in B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus and selenium. They are prepared in such a way that during the cooking process they get rid of mucus and ink, although sometimes they are eaten along with the ink. Fishing does not pose a threat to the octopus population; it is a numerous species, which is also bred on an industrial scale for restaurants.

Thanks to intelligence and high adaptability octopus lived for millions of years, almost unchanged. These amazing animals still remain the most common species of cephalopods, despite the fact that they are the object of the largest fishery.

The octopus is a representative of the family of cephalopods. It is popularly known as an octopus, as it has eight huge tentacles. Since ancient times, there have been many legends and myths about this inhabitant of the seas. For example, sailors believed that a giant octopus-kraken lived in the ocean, capable of dragging an entire ship under water. These representatives of cephalopods form two suborders: deep-sea octopuses (Cirrata) and true octopuses (Incirrata).

The size of most octopuses does not exceed half a meter; only the common octopus, Apollyon, Hong Kong and Doflein octopus are considered large. Some species are poisonous. They live in subtropical and tropical seas and oceans, most often in coastal rocky areas. They feed on crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Octopuses breathe through gills and can remain out of water for a short time.

Anatomy and physiology of octopuses

The octopus or octopus is a typical representative of cephalopods. Their body is compact, soft, round. The length of an adult octopus varies in the range from 1 centimeter to 4 meters. The mass of an octopus can reach 50 kilograms.

On the body of the octopus there is a mantle, which is a leather bag. The length of the mantle in males reaches 9.5 centimeters, and in females - 13.5 centimeters. An octopus has no bones. Because of this feature, it can easily change its shape and stay in a confined space.

The octopus has eight tentacles that are interconnected. A thin membrane serves as a connector. Located on the tentacles suction cups in 1-3 rows. Number of suckers adult can reach two thousand. One suction cup can hold approximately 100 grams of weight. In this case, retention occurs only due to the work of muscles, and not due to adhesion.

The mouth opening is where the tentacles grow. The mouth is equipped two strong jaws, similar to the beak of birds. The pharynx has a radula, similar to a grater, that grinds food. The anus is hidden under the mantle.

Common octopus may change color. This occurs under the influence of signals transmitted nervous system in response to external environment. In its normal state the octopus is brown, in case of danger it is white, and if it is angry it is red.

The eyes of an octopus are similar to human ones: large with lens and an outwardly oriented retina. It is noteworthy that the pupils are rectangular in shape.

Features of the organism of octopuses

This cephalopod has three hearts: one is responsible for distributing blood throughout the body, the other two are responsible for conducting blood through the gills.

Octopus has highly developed brain and rudiments of the cortex. The shape of the brain resembles a donut. This shape allows the brain to be compactly positioned around the esophagus. Cephalopods are capable of perceiving not only ordinary sounds, but also infrasound.

Also, thanks to the huge number of taste buds, the edibility of food is determined. Compared to other invertebrates, the octopus very large genome. It has 28 pairs of chromosomes and approximately 33 thousand protein-coding genes. According to the latter indicator, the octopus is even ahead of humans.

Octopus lifestyle and behavior

Octopuses live in all seas and oceans in the tropics and subtropics. As a rule, these animals lead a benthic lifestyle alone. They prefer to settle among stones and algae. They can settle in the empty shells of other underwater inhabitants.

For living, they choose a den with a narrow entrance, but spacious inside. Cleanliness is achieved using a funnel. Garbage and leftovers are not kept inside the habitat. On a hard surface, even a vertical one, octopuses move by crawling with the help of tentacles.

If an octopus needs to swim, then to do this, the octopus draws water into the cavity where its gills are located and forcefully pushes it out in the opposite direction. If a change in direction is required, the funnel through which the water is pushed is rotated.

Any of the octopus's movement options is very slow, so for hunting the animal actively uses ambushes and color changes to obtain food.

The main enemies of octopuses are:

• dolphins;
• whales;
• sea ​​lions;
• sharks;
• seals.

In case of danger, the octopus will often flees for his life, while releasing a dark liquid from special glands. How long does this liquid remain compact in the water, allowing the octopus to hide? Some zoologists believe that these shapeless spots also act as decoys.

In addition, if a tentacle is grabbed, it can come off due to strong muscle contraction. The tentacle continues to move for some time, which allows the octopus to break away from the enemy.

Reproduction of octopuses

Breeding periods occur in April and October. In some areas the dates have been shifted and fall to June and October. An octopus mates by releasing sperm from the mantle of the male into the mantle of the female.

Female octopuses after fertilization lay eggs. For laying, they choose depressions in the ground and make a nest, covering it with shells and stones. The eggs of octopuses are spherical, united in groups of 8–20 pieces.

In one clutch there may be 80 thousand eggs. The octopus takes care of the eggs, passing water, removing dirt and foreign objects. Until the eggs hatch, the female remains at the nest without food. It happens that she even dies after the young hatch.

During the first months, newborn octopuses feed on plankton and lead only a benthic lifestyle. After a month and a half, they already reach 12 millimeters and weigh several grams, and upon reaching 4 months they weigh about a kilogram.

Of the entire clutch, only one or two individuals reach sexual maturity. The lifespan of animals can reach 4 years, but on average octopuses live 1−2 years.

What do octopuses eat?

By the nature of their feeding, bottom-dwelling octopuses are classified as lurking predators. Hidden in their shelter, they patiently watch for passing fish, crabs, lobsters, lobsters and quickly rush at them, enveloping them with their long arms. The favorite food of octopuses is Kamchatka crabs.

Having caught a crab, the octopus carries it, holding it with its tentacles like hands, to its shelter. Sometimes one octopus drags several crabs at once. Octopuses also catch large gobies and flounders. Capture of prey occurs with the help of suction cups on the tentacles. Their strength is amazing: a suction cup with a diameter of 3 centimeters can withstand 2.5-3.5 kilograms.

This is a lot, especially since these animals have hundreds of suckers. Very ingenious experiments were carried out to determine the strength of the suction cups. Octopuses kept in an aquarium were given a crab tied to a dynamometer. He instantly grabbed the crab with his hands and hurried to hide with it in the shelter, but the leash did not allow him to do this.

Then the octopus firmly attached itself to the crab and began to forcefully pull it towards itself. At the same time, he held the crab with three hands, and with the rest he stuck to the bottom of the aquarium. Octopuses weighing about 1 kilogram or more could develop a force equal to 18 kilograms.

Octopuses recognize the taste of food not with their tongue, which is converted into a grater, but with their hands. The entire inner surface of the tentacles and suckers are involved in tasting food. These sea animals have an unusually subtle sense of taste; they can even taste their enemies.

Octopuses prefer to eat:

1. Fish.
2. Crustaceans.
3. Marine animals and shellfish.

If you drop a drop of water near an octopus taken from an aquarium where a moray eel lives - worst enemy shellfish, the octopus will immediately turn purple and run away.

Like many other cephalopods, octopuses belong to carnivorous animals. They grab their food with their tentacles and kill it with poison, and only then begin to consume it internally. If the victim is caught with a shell, then the octopus breaks it with its “beak” located near the mouth.

The most famous representatives cephalopods are octopuses. They are distinguished by a rather unusual appearance - a short and soft body ending in tentacles, nature has not deprived them of them.

There are already eight of them. And they all play the role of “hands”, which are interconnected by membranes, and on the surface of which there is one row or more suction cups. There may be about two thousand of them. And each can withstand up to one hundred grams of weight.

Blue blood

This cephalopod breathes through gills, but despite this, the octopus can go without water for quite a long time. Another feature of the animal can be considered the presence of not one, but three hearts at once. One organ drives blue blood throughout the body, and the other two push it through the gills.

Blue-ringed octopuses are found off the western shores of the Pacific Ocean. They are the most dangerous creatures in the world. Their venom is unusually toxic.

Extraordinarily smart

Interesting fact: octopuses are quite smart animals. In terms of their level of development, they can be compared to dogs and cats. These cephalopods are capable of changing their color quite quickly, literally in one second. And this is thanks to skin cells that are filled with the pigment of the most different colors. Special muscles pull the cells, the color pigment begins to spread and occupy a huge area. Therefore, the shade of the body changes.

The smallest octopus is only four centimeters long. But scientists argue about the size of the largest one and still cannot give an exact answer. They say that they once caught a representative of a species of cephalopods whose tentacle span reached 9.6 meters. The giant’s weight was exactly 272 kilograms. However, there is no confirmation of this fact.

The biggest octopus

The giant octopus Doflein is not called giant for nothing. The size of his head is approximately 60 centimeters. The tentacles have a span of more than three meters. Weight Limit the animal is about 60 kilograms. And these are already tested and proven truths.

The Doflein octopus lives in the North Pacific Ocean. The animal prefers fairly low temperatures. It is more comfortable for him to live if the water warms up to a maximum of 5-12 degrees above zero. They are given freedom on the surface and at shallow depths. Therefore, the Doflein octopus can often be found by tourists with scuba gear. Moreover, as a rule, schools of giant octopuses are found. And in most cases, the encounter ends in failure for the animal - it is caught and, usually, eaten. And only after that do lovers of exotic dishes wonder why octopus has a rubbery taste. The answer, by the way, is simple - you need to know how to cook it.

And a little more about the habitat; the octopus prefers rocky soils. The animal hides in caves, crevices and among boulders. In summer, the giant octopus lives in all types of soil. Often the cephalopod can be found on the border of sandy and rocky soils, near steep capes. It is almost impossible to stumble upon it in the center of deep bays in pebble and sandy soils. And in open areas, the octopus digs wide holes with its tentacles and uses them as its lair.

As for Doflein’s appearance, scientists say it’s hard to believe that the octopus has blue blood. It turns out an aristocrat with depths of the sea, but with a rather original appearance. Nature created it different from others, a sort of bag with tentacles and eyes. The length of the octopus's body from the rear end of the body to the middle of the eyes (this is the standard measurement of the animal) is 60 centimeters. And the total length is about 3-4 meters. The weight of the cephalopod is up to 55 kilograms. Most large specimen, which was measured and entered into the Guinness Book of Records, had a length of tentacles, excluding the body, exactly 3.5 meters. His weight was 58 kilograms.

Animal with jet engine

On each of the eight tentacles of the giant octopus there are two rows of suckers, 250-300 on each leg. The membrane between the tentacles is not deep, but can stretch greatly, and in this form it is so thin that it is almost transparent. If you manage to film an animal soaring in the water against the sun, you get a very impressive photo. The octopus has a tube at the bottom of its head called the rostrum. This is a kind of jet engine that serves as a means of transportation. Few creatures in the world have such a “device.” To swim, the octopus draws water into the mantle, then contracts the mantle muscles and sharply throws the water out through the funnel. By the way, the octopus swims backwards, the tentacles are behind the body. In aquatic flight, the two outermost tentacles with stretched membranes are used as wings, and the rest serve as the fuselage, as in an airplane. And through the rostrum, at the same time, a “smoke screen” is placed, that is, ink is released, but this is in case of fright.

All about octopuses

But the octopus's mouth is in the center of the ring of paws. And in the mouth there is a beak, which is very similar to the beak of a parrot. However, the lower jaw extends slightly beyond the upper jaw, and not vice versa. Adult giant octopuses have a beak that is usually dark brown, while juveniles are transparent. Therefore, the darkening of the beak is a kind of sign of sexual maturity. The animal's tongue has a horny grater (this is the radula). It has many transverse rows of small denticles - seven in each row. The central row is the sharpest and largest; it acts as a rotary drill. The octopus uses it to drill into crab shells and shells. Usually the color of the animal is red-brown with a mesh pattern on the body and light stains. But the giant cephalopod can instantly change its color from white to dark purple.

As a rule, the octopus makes seasonal migrations in summer and autumn. On the eve of spawning, the animal moves to shallow depths and lives together with its relatives, that is, aggregations. And in the fall, after spawning, octopuses disperse throughout their entire habitat for several days, live outside of concentrations and inhabit rocky soil.
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Among the variety of cephalopods, the most famous is the octopus, which nature has endowed with a unique appearance: a short and soft body, at the end of which there are tentacles. The tentacles are connected to each other by membranes. And on top of them there are suction cups, of which some specimens have up to 2,000. Amazingly, 1 such suction cup can support a weight of up to 100 g. All octopuses differ in color, size and other characteristics. For example, the largest octopus in the world is Doflein's octopus.

Features of the mollusk

These cephalopods use gills to breathe, although the octopus is capable of staying out of water for quite a long time. They are also distinguished from other living beings by:

1. Having 3 hearts. One of them is used to pump blood throughout the body, and the other 2 are needed to push it through the gills.
2. Blue blood.
3. If we talk about the level of development of octopuses, scientists even compare them with dogs.
4. The surface of the skin of octopuses consists of cells that contain a pigment that can completely change the color of the mollusk in a second. This occurs due to the fact that special muscles are able to pull these cells, as a result of which the pigment they contain spreads at lightning speed over the entire surface of the skin, coloring it.
5. They use a “jet engine” to move.
6. Octopuses have neither a shell nor a skeleton, and the body is very elastic and capable of changing its shape. The only solid organ on its body is its mouth, which looks like a parrot's beak and is made of keratin. Thanks to this, the mollusk, whose weight is 18 kg, is able to squeeze into a hole whose diameter is 3-4 cm.

There are poisonous specimens - blue-ringed octopuses that live in the Pacific Ocean. They are also called the most dangerous creatures in the world, as their poison is very toxic.

It is known that the smallest octopus has a body only 4 cm long. But scientists have been debating which of them is the largest for many years. There is information that once the fish caught an octopus whose tentacle span was 9.6 meters. And he weighed 272 kg.

It’s not just the structure of this mollusk that is unique. He also moves in an unusual way. To do this, he has a rostrum under his head - a special tube, the operating principle of which can be compared to a jet engine. In order to swim, it collects a portion of water into its mantle, which is thrown out during the contraction of the mantle muscles.

The octopus moves backwards. Moreover, its limbs are located behind the body. The two outer tentacles act as wings, with the help of which it can change the trajectory of its movement. The rest are assigned the function of the fuselage.

When an octopus gets scared, it releases a portion of ink through its rostrum, which serves as a kind of smoke screen that can protect it from potential danger.

The largest representative of octopuses

If we talk about record holders among these mollusks, the largest is the Doflein octopus. Its head is about 60 cm in size, and the tentacle span is 3 m. The weight of the largest Doflein octopus was about 60 kg.

They live in northern waters Pacific Ocean, since Doflein can only feel comfortable in conditions low temperatures. Best conditions for him the temperature is no higher than 12 degrees. Very often they are encountered by divers who scuba dive, because octopuses can swim at shallow depths or on the very surface of the water. Octopuses usually swim in schools, attacking their prey together.

Closest competitors

Among these cephalopods there are no less impressive specimens. The largest among them are:

1. Common octopus. This predator can be found in the seas of tropical and subtropical latitudes. They live in shallow waters. The average body length of such an octopus is 25 cm, and its weight usually does not exceed 10 kg. They live mostly solitary, hiding from enemies in stone or rocky ground. When going hunting, the common octopus is perfectly camouflaged. Such mollusks live for about 2 years.
2. Octopus Apollyon. Characteristic feature The mollusk is relatively light in weight with a huge body length. Externally, he looks like huge spider with long and thin legs. Apollyons are found off the coast of Alaska, Canada or California, where cold waters create excellent living conditions for them.

Scientists note that in last decades their sizes have decreased significantly. This may be due to pollution of the waters of the World Ocean or their fishing, which occurs on an industrial scale. Although it is quite possible that these giants moved to such depths where man had not yet descended, what could have been caused by the change climatic conditions and an increase in water temperature in the seas and oceans.

In order to meet amazing aliens from other worlds who have a certain intelligence and are as different from humans as possible, you do not need to fly into space. They live next to us in the seas and oceans. These creatures - octopuses - are a legacy of ancient centuries, images of huge octopuses, monsters from the depths of the sea, of which people have always feared. They have long been attributed demonic glory and power, as if they were able to sink a ship or approach a diver with the insidious purpose of crushing the victim with their tentacles and holding him until he suffocates.

Mysterious inhabitants of the water world

Modern researchers have long refuted all such legends and fantasies. The truth turned out to be impressive; these animals are endowed with a lot of amazing qualities:

• they are smart and sensitive (millions of neurons in their tentacles give them an unrivaled sense of touch);
• have excellent vision and are able to quickly analyze what they see;
• they have a well-developed nervous system;
• they have three hearts;
• their blood of blue color;
• they have eight prehensile, constantly moving tentacle arms with suction cups responsible for touch and balance, which are sometimes used as legs to move along the seabed;
• they communicate through color, while they themselves distinguish only black and white color scheme;
• move with the help of a jet engine;
• capable of perfect camouflage and camouflage, changing the color of their skin and its texture in a split second.

These bizarre creatures have no skeleton or shell, but only a soft, elastic body that can change shape. Even the largest octopus will be able to squeeze into any gap that does not limit its only solid organ, its beak mouth. This organ is made of keratin, like our nails, and looks like a parrot's beak. An animal weighing 16-18 kg can easily get into a hole with a diameter of 3.5 cm.

These inhabitants of the depths of the sea are terrible and at the same time charming, they carry you into mysterious depths so that a person realizes all their charm and gets to know them better. There are more than 300 species of octopuses in the world, 100 of which have been described, and they come in all shapes, colors and sizes. They can live in almost any habitat, from shallow waters off the coast to deep hydrothermal vents. Large animals are of particular interest. These are the common octopus, Dofleina and Appolion.

There are stories of rare leviathans raised from the depths of the sea, weighing more than 50 kg. Stories of fearsome giants with tentacles over 10m long date back more than 50 years, with some giant octopuses caught weighing over 180kg, the same as a black bear. This species has a bad reputation. Above the eyes of the octopus there are two outgrowths resembling horns, for which it was nicknamed “ sea ​​devil" This is Doflein's octopus.

This species of cephalopod is the most studied. Such individuals live in the seas Far East, off the coast of Japan and America. They prefer to live at shallow depths, not descending below 300 m. Animals of this species are capable of reaching a weight of more than 50 kg, although their usual standard weight is 25 kg. There is a known case when an octopus weighing more than 270 kg with a “span” of tentacles of over 9 m was caught.

At birth, Doflein's octopuses are only 6 mm long and weigh 0.003 grams. They double their weight every three months. At the age of two years they reach a weight of 2 kg, then until 32 months they make a leap, sharply increasing to 18 kg. These large octopuses feed continuously and eat all the food they can find, and can eat their own kind. Such octopuses live only 4 years.

This predator lives in all tropical and subtropical oceans and seas, in shallow waters up to 150 m with rocky bottom areas. Standard body length is 25 cm, weight is up to 10 kg.

The common octopus lives alone, hiding from big fish and marine mammals, camouflaging itself only when it gets out to hunt. Life expectancy is no more than two years.

Apollyon

This view is huge. The octopus can lay claim to the title of giant. But Apollyon has the only drawback - his little weight at large sizes bodies. The proportions of this species of octopus resemble a non-standard spider: long, fragile and thin legs extend from a small body.

Apollyons live in rocks off the coast of western Canada, Alaska and California. Deep, cold, oxygen-rich waters provide optimal living conditions for maximum octopus growth.

The modern context of the image of an octopus is the image of a graceful giant, however, it has been noted that over the last 15-20 years, large octopuses weighing 50 kg have become increasingly rare. This may be a genetic trait that gives octopuses a smaller size than they had 50 to 80 years ago. The reasons may be substances polluting the oceans and increased fishing for octopus (crab) food. Or maybe, in a warming world, these sensitive giants simply lay low? Climate change is definitely a threat to the huge octopuses. It is possible that supergiants exist at depths to which humans cannot yet descend using modern equipment.