denise
08-12-2008, 04:52 PM
Octopus are part of the Cephalopod family, a curious group of marine “head-footed” creatures, armed with a bulky head and an array of arms and tentacles.
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_5.jpg
Octopus, Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Debbie Buck
The name Octopus means ‘eight-footed', and is easily recognizable to us, but not always their prey and predators. They eject a thick black ink cloud into the water to help confuse and escape from their predators. This ink cloud also dulls smell, which is particularly useful for evading predators that use scent for hunting, e.g. sharks.
Octopus can also camouflage themselves, using their chromatophores to change their body color. They also use color-changes to communicate with or warn other octopuses. If under attack, some octopuses can even detach their own arms, similar to how lizards detach their own tails. The crawling arm is a distraction to potential predators; allowing the octopus to escape! This arm grows back in time!
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_3.jpg
Octopus creeping around on a coral reef, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck
Octopuses are excellent predators, feasting on a variety of crabs, lobsters, scallops, fish, and even other octopuses. They catch prey with their arms and tentacles, bite it with their beak, and then paralyze their prey with a powerful toxin. Most octopuses are nocturnal, hunting by night, and resting by day in their dens. The entrance to their den usually has a collection of bones, spines and empty crab shells left over from past meals.
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_1.jpg
Closeup of an octopus
Photo by Debbie Buck
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_5.jpg
Octopus, Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Debbie Buck
The name Octopus means ‘eight-footed', and is easily recognizable to us, but not always their prey and predators. They eject a thick black ink cloud into the water to help confuse and escape from their predators. This ink cloud also dulls smell, which is particularly useful for evading predators that use scent for hunting, e.g. sharks.
Octopus can also camouflage themselves, using their chromatophores to change their body color. They also use color-changes to communicate with or warn other octopuses. If under attack, some octopuses can even detach their own arms, similar to how lizards detach their own tails. The crawling arm is a distraction to potential predators; allowing the octopus to escape! This arm grows back in time!
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_3.jpg
Octopus creeping around on a coral reef, West Palm Beach
Photo by Debbie Buck
Octopuses are excellent predators, feasting on a variety of crabs, lobsters, scallops, fish, and even other octopuses. They catch prey with their arms and tentacles, bite it with their beak, and then paralyze their prey with a powerful toxin. Most octopuses are nocturnal, hunting by night, and resting by day in their dens. The entrance to their den usually has a collection of bones, spines and empty crab shells left over from past meals.
http://www.dayo.com/images/forum/octopusdebbie_1.jpg
Closeup of an octopus
Photo by Debbie Buck