Octopus

Octopus

Octopuses, or octopuses (Latin: Octōpoda, from the ancient Greek ὀκτώ "eight" and πούς "leg"), are the best-known order of cephalopods. The typical octopuses described in this article are representatives of the suborder Incirrina, bottom-dwelling animals. But some representatives of this suborder and all species of the second suborder Cirrina are pelagic animals, living in the water column, and many of them are found only at great depths.

Appearance, Body, Ability

The body of an octopus is short, soft, and oval at the back. The mouth is located where its tentacles converge, and the anus opens under the mantle. The mantle resembles a wrinkled leather sac. The octopus's mouth is equipped with two powerful jaws, similar to a parrot's beak. In the pharynx there is a grater (radula), which grinds food. The head carries eight long tentacles - "arms". The "arms" are connected to each other by a thin membrane and have from one to three rows of suckers. On all eight tentacles of an adult octopus there are about 2000 of them, each of which has a holding force of about 100 g, and, unlike those created by man, the octopus's suckers require effort to hold, and not when sucking, that is, they are held only by muscular effort. The octopus has three hearts: one (the main one) pumps blue blood throughout the body, and the other two, the gill hearts, push the blood through the gills. Some species of octopuses are poisonous. Several species of the genus Hapalochlaena, which live off the western shores of the Pacific Ocean, are among the most poisonous animals in the world. Octopuses have an unusual ability: due to the lack of a skeleton, they can change shape. For example, some octopuses spread out on the bottom while hunting, disguising themselves as flounders. Octopuses are known to be able to penetrate through surprisingly small holes. The common octopus has the ability to change color, adapting to the environment. This is explained by the presence of cells with different pigments in its skin. When fleeing, many species of octopuses release streams of ink, a dark liquid produced by special glands. They eat mollusks, crustaceans, and fish. The common octopus captures its prey with all eight tentacles. The octopus bites its victim with its beak, holding it with its suckers.

intelligence, Psyche

The octopus brain is highly developed (one of the most developed among invertebrates), has a rudimentary cortex. It encircles the esophagus with a ring. The eyes are large, with a lens similar to the human (however, the retina, unlike the human, is not inverted: the photoreceptors are directed towards the light. The pupil is rectangular. Octopuses are able to perceive sound, including infrasound. On each “hand” there are up to ten thousand taste receptors that determine the edibility or inedibility of an object. They have a psyche, emotionally and psychologically experience events in life, can get upset, receive psychological trauma and experience enormous stress. Thanks to their high intelligence, they use many things as tools or a place to hide. Many zoopsychologists consider octopuses to be the most “intelligent” of all invertebrates in many ways: they can be trained, have a good memory, and can distinguish geometric shapes - they can tell a small square from a larger one; a rectangle placed vertically from a rectangle placed horizontally; a circle from a square, a rhombus from a triangle. They recognize people and get used to those who feed them. If you spend enough time with an octopus, it will become tame. They are highly trainable.

Character and Behavior

In order to survive in the wild, octopuses always behave calmly. They are very rarely aggressive, and attack only when they are scared or trying to escape from danger. But despite this, octopuses are very inquisitive. They are very timid, which is why they can immediately change color or squirt ink. However, despite this, octopuses are very inquisitive and curious animals. They behave like 5-year-old children or puppies. Octopuses love to play, in the wild they swim to divers to hug them. Octopuses love to play ball, solve various puzzles, and love touching and attention. Sometimes they touch people to be noticed and spend time with them. They become attached to people very quickly. Sometimes when they are bored and want attention, they begin to throw and break things. Octopuses can flirt and tease, touching the face with their tentacles.