The paper’s authors argued that it constituted tool use, considered a sign of intelligence in many species. The behaviour was first recorded in the Coral Reefs journal in 2011, with photographs showing a tuskfish grasping a cockle in its jaws and striking it repeatedly on a rock. The tenacious tuskfish filmed cracking open a clam on coral – “persistent Percy”, as he was named by those who shot the sequence on the Great Barrier Reef – could advance the case for the intelligence of fish. Photograph: Alex Vail/BBC Fish may be smarter than we once thought (episode one, One Ocean) Octopus blending in with ocean floor: Serban Enache, Dreamstime.An orange-dotted tuskfish holds a clam in its formidable jaws on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Octopus shooting inky fluid: Vittorio Bruno, Shutterstock. Picture credits – Octopus and its tentacles: Michal Adamczyk, Dreamstime. Such threats include habitat destruction, and a reduction in their main foods due to over fishing and marine pollution. Cool, eh? These brilliant builders sometimes even fashion a rock “door” that pulls closed when the octopus is safely inside the den.Īlthough octopuses are not considered endangered, they do face dangers from human activity.
And check this out – they build their dens themselves by moving the rocks into place with their powerful arms. Impressive stuff! As well as for camouflage, these incredible invertebrates use colour change as a way to communicate with other octopuses.įor the most part, octopuses are solitary creatures and live alone in dens made from rocks. They can also hide and blend in with their surroundings, too, by changing colour to grey, brown, pink, blue or green. But these eight-armed animals have a few cheeky tricks to help defend themselves! If threatened, octopuses shoot an inky fluid from their body that darkens the water around them, confusing the aggressor. Octopuses themselves provide tasty meals for other sea creatures, such as seals, whales and large fish, who like to gobble them up.
#Blue planet deep sea creatures yellow eyes free
When going for grub, octopuses typically drop down on their prey from above, and then use the powerful suctions that line their arms to pull their victim into their mouth.ĭid you know that we have a FREE downloadable octopus primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike! They also crawl along the ocean’s floor, tucking their arms into small openings to search for food.įavourites on the octopus’ menu include crabs, shrimps and lobsters, but they will sometimes eat larger prey, too, such as sharks. They perform their famous backward swim by blasting water through a muscular tube on their body called a siphon. Other octopus species live in deep, dark waters, and rise from below at dawn and dusk to search for food. Most octopuses stay along the ocean’s floor, although some species are ‘ pelagic,’ meaning they live near the water’s surface. However, there are some kinds of octopus that live in relatively shallow waters.
Like their cousin, the squid, octopuses are often considered ‘ monsters of the deep’, lurking in the depths of the seas. These cool critters live in all the world’s oceans, but they’re especially abundant in warm, tropical waters. Octopuses are sea animals famous for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes and eight long arms.
Ready to get up-close and personal with one of nature’s quirkiest creatures? Then check out our awesome octopus facts!īody length: Generally 30-90cm (some species can grow to 5.4m!)
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