Eight Arms are Better Than Two
Eight Arms are Better than Two
Hannah Yarbrough, Ben Book, Sidney
Ketchum
Octopus, a
creature so unique, swims our oceans with three hearts and eight tentacles.
While they typically roam these waters alone, the plural form of octopus is
octopuses, not octopi as many believe.
There are close to 300 species of octopuses. Octopuses are a part of the
Cephalopoda class, which also includes cuttlefish, squids and nautilus. These intelligent creatures live fascinating
lives. Let’s dive in and take a look at
the places they call home, the ways they “get it on” and how they fight off those
cruel enemies.
HABITAT
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| https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/ invertebrates/c/common-octopus/ |
Octopuses
can be found in various locations within the oceans. However, they are more commonly found near
coral reefs. Reefs provide nooks and
crannies for them to make their homes.
Much like a couch-surfer, these animals do not stay in one location for
too long. They like to move every couple
weeks and live in a variety of places.
If you dare, attempt to locate the octopus in his home to the picture on
the right.
Octopuses
have the ability to live in a wide range of temperatures. A good majority can be found living in the
depths of the ocean. The rest can be
found living happily in shallower waters closer to the surface. One place the octopuses find extremely
difficult to thrive in are places filled with pollution. Due to the toxins, they find it difficult to
find meals as well as lay eggs. On the
plus side, octopuses are smart cookies that can make many unique locations
their home.
REPRODUCTION
When it comes to reproduction, male
and female octopuses have an interesting way of reproducing. First off, the
female octopus is much larger than the male octopus, making the male terrified
of the female. But if that wasn’t scary enough, the female octopus is a
cannibal, constantly hungry, and will strangle and consume the male octopus if
he does not move carefully. The male octopus has many tricks though. He can
literally mate at arm’s length, completely disguise himself as a female and
sneak into her den, or detach and sacrifice his arm while he makes a hasty
getaway. Octopuses are some of the most unsocial creatures in the ocean, yet
they mate in the most intimate way as the male inserts his arm into the
female’s mantle so that his sperm can go directly into her body for the female
to store until she is ready to lay her eggs.
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| https://www.pinterest.com/pin/333055334921275812/ |
For the particular species, Enteroctopus dofleini, reproduction is
their main goal in life and once they accomplish it, they will die. The
octopuses locate each other by the female producing chemicals that the male can
sense as he searches for her. As they begin the courtship, they will use their
sight to determine if the other is a compatible match or not. The female is
always larger than the male, so that’s what the male is looking for in a mate
because a larger female produces more eggs. The female is looking for a male
with a long ligula, which is a section on the hectocotylus located at the end
of one of the male’s arms. To attract his mate, the male will flash displays on
his skin using his chromatophores. The whole courting and mating process can
take up to three or more hours. The male octopuses spermatophores contain up to
seven billion sperm and can be three feet long and he places them into the
female’s body from his hectocotylus into an opening in her mantle. The female will store the sperm until
she is ready to lay her eggs, which will be anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000
eggs. It will take her a couple of days to lay all of them. After that, she
will spend the rest of days caring for them until they hatch.
The final stage of the octopuses life cycle is senescence,
where both the male and female experience a dementia-like state that causes
them to lose a lot of weight because they refuse to eat. They will lose 50
percent of their body weight because they metabolize muscle since their body is
not able to store fat. The males tend to just float around, making them
extremely vulnerable and easy prey, while the female will die shortly after her
eggs hatch. White lesions that don’t heal will appear on the skin of both male
and female octopuses, showing the last signs of senescence. They experience
this unfortunate situation until their death.
DEFENSE MECHANISMS
Octopuses are an ideal delicacy for
many predators in vast, diverse ocean. Being somewhat small, and extremely
soft, they are specifically targeted because they have no exoskeleton, thus
making them relatively easy to digest. The octopus must protect itself from
eels, sharks, dolphins, etc. Based on the physiology of the cephalopod, the
alternative to fight a predator is nonexistent and could possibly result in
death. Instead, the octopus relies on defensive tactics: camouflage, ink sacs,
detachable limbs, and mimicry which we see in the “Mimic Octopus.”
Thaumoctopus
mimicus, a
species that lives off the coast of Indonesia, specializes in mimicry. It can
take on the appearance of a flounder, a sea snake, and even a bottom dwelling
flatfish. By contorting its body and keeping its own color of brown and white
stripes, the octopus can hide in plain sight. Even though it isn’t totally
camouflaged, the fact it can lengthen and contort its body to resemble a fish
is uncanny. It is unknown if these skills are learned or inherited, but I am
sure the truth will present itself in due time.
These defense mechanisms allow this
cephalopod to survive a little longer in a very short, lonely life.
If you wish to learn more about octopuses in a fun way, please watch Pixar's Finding Dory!
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| http://www.thepicturehouse.org/finding-dory/ |
SOURCES
Baker, Beth. “Unusual
Adaptations: Evolution of the Mimic Octopus.” BioScience, vol. 60, no. 11, 2010, pp. 962–962. JSTOR
Courage, Katherine Harmon. “Earth - How male octopuses avoid
being eaten by hungry females.” BBC, BBC, 24 Feb. 2015,
www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150223-mysteries-of-cannibal-octopus-sex.
Kalupa, Julie. University
of Wisconsin. 2012. http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/kalupa_juli/reproduction.htm
OctopusWorlds. 2014.
http://www.octopusworlds.com/octopus-habitat/
OneKind Planet. OneKind
Planet. 2017. https://onekindplanet.org/animal/octopus/
Vendetti, Jann. University
of California Museum of Paleontology. 2006. http://www.
ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/inverts/mollusca/cephalopoda.php
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