An octopus is a member of the cephalopod family . It is popularly known as an octopus, as it has eight huge tentacles. Since ancient times, many legends and myths go about this inhabitant of the seas . For example, sailors believed that a giant octopus-kraken lives in the ocean, capable of dragging an entire ship under water.
Given this, it is not surprising that today many are interested in the veracity of these stories. Is an octopus a killer animal? Or is it just fiction of experienced sailors? And if so, how big can octopuses be?
Octopus: Short Description
Octopus is a marine animal. It is able to live only in salt water, away from noisy shores and densely populated ports. You can meet an octopus in almost all seas and oceans that are located in tropical and subtropical zones.
This creature leads a near-bottom lifestyle, hiding among stones and algae. As a shelter, an octopus often chooses bottles, vases, boxes, and other garbage thrown into the water. If the bottom is clean, then the animal is looking for empty crevices or simply burrows in the sand.
An octopus is a marine predator. Its diet includes crabs, spiny lobsters, fish, and even other cephalopods. Curious is the fact that the octopus is able to change the color of its skin, like a chameleon. Due to this, he can remain invisible, being a few centimeters from his target.
What does an octopus look like?
An octopus is an invertebrate animal, and more precisely, it has no bones at all. Therefore, its shape can vary depending on the circumstances, which allows it to slip even into the narrowest gaps.
The main feature of the octopus is its tentacles. There are always eight of them, if only for some reason the animal has not lost one of them. On each "hand" there is a series of suction cups, thanks to which the octopus catches its prey.
The octopus's head is ovoid. It has two large eyes, well adapted for hunting in the aquatic environment.
Giant Myths
Most legends about the gigantic size of octopuses are fiction. Yes, once upon a time these creatures really were huge. However, at that time there were no people yet, which means they could not talk about these monsters.
As for the real facts, for a long time the record was an octopus caught in the Pacific Ocean. The length of its tentacles was 3.5 m, and the weight reached 60 kg. But soon a new, larger animal was caught off the coast of New Zealand. So, the weight of the new champion is 75 kg, and the length of each of his eight “arms” reaches 4 meters.