Octopus

Octopuses by Caleb

Classification

Octopuses belong to a group of marine invertebrates called cephalopods, which also include squid and cuttlefish. The word cephalopod means ‘head footed’. Octopuses closest relatives are snails, slugs, chitons and shellfish.

  Description

The cephalopods are a group of molluscs and are probably the most intelligent of all the invertebrates. They have well developed heads with large, complex eyes and mouths that have beak-like jaws. All octopuses have eight tentacle-like arms. The word octopus in Greek means ‘eight footed’. The New Zealand octopus can be from 1 to 1.4 meters in length with a warty body. They have two rows of small suckers that have tiny spikes around the outside.

  Dynamics

 

  Defence

Octopuses use ink, which comes from a gland beside their mouth to confuse their predators and make a quick getaway of 40kmph. Octopuses predators include; seals, sharks, orcas, Sea lions, big eels, dolphins but most importantly man. Octopuses have several other means of defence. Their first is to camouflage themselves against their surroundings. Special pigment cells called chromatophores in their skin allow them to do this. By controlling the size of the cells they can change their colour and create changing patterns. If that fails they will toss sand in their attackers face and use their quick jet propulsion and boneless bodies to fit into small spaces. But if an attacker gets hold of a tentacle, they can ‘lose their arm’ and escape to a safe place to grow it back.

  Attack

But octopuses can be predators too. When they can they eat things like; small crabs, turtles, scallops, sea snails, fish and some other crustaceans. To get these creatures they use their poisonous beak, camouflage and their tiny teethed suckers on their tentacles. First the octopus camouflages so that a crab out on the rocky shore can’t see it. As the crab comes closer the octopus uses its jet propulsion to fling itself out of the water onto the crab. It stabilises itself on the rocks with it’s tentacles and stabs a hole in the crabs hard exoskeleton to inject the poison. The crab dies and the octopus takes it back to it’s home and eats it in peace. 

  Life cycle

Before octopuses lay their eggs they go on a huge hunt and kill anything smaller than themselves to eat. When they return they lay over 500,000 eggs and wait there for three months without eating until they hatch. The octopus female will guard her eggs fiercely.

  Location

Octopuses are located worldwide in shallow tropical and subtropical waters. They live were there is an abundance of food and hideouts (rocks) and not too many predators. New Zealand Octopuses live in rocky peninsulas and around Stewart Island.

Conclusion

Octopuses are not considered endangered or threatened but if too many more are caught they will be vulnerable. Octopuses have lived for millions of years and have continued to evolve along the way. 

Octopus by Cullan





CLASSIFICATION: The octopus belong to a 

group of marine invertebrates known as 

Cephalopods Cephalopod means “head footed” 

Their closest living relatives are snails, slugs, 

chiton and shell fish

DESCRIPTION: Octopus have 8 limbs they also have 3 hearts their blood is blue they have 240 sucker on each tentacle their body is rough their beak can reach 1.3 meters LOCATION: They are found in places like caves, cracks in rocks, under rocks or in salt water places. Also you can find them in wrecks, coral reefs even bottles They relocate every 10-14 weeks They have been around for millions of years. DYNAMICS: DEIT: They eat crabs, scollops, snails, fish, turtles other crustaceans (shrimps) They are carnivores. ATTACK: The have poisonous beaks, sharp teeth on arms they leap out of the water,  camouflage for surprising attacks. PREDATORS: Sea lions, seals, orcas, rays, eels, sharks, sea otters, people and dolphins. 


DEFENCE: They use stuff like ink, tossing sand jet proportion, squeezing threw small places and camouflage. LIFE CYCLE: They start off as a egg then the egg turns into a larvae then they go to the breeding stage they have 100,000-500,000 babies then they become an adult. CONCLUSION: Octopus have 8 limbs They are invertebrates They have 3 hearts and have a divers diet.