All About The Octopus - Facts for Kids

Today we're going to learn about an octopus. And an octopus is a sea animal with eight arms. Well, kind of. We'll learn about this in a second. And there are more than 150 species of octopus, or types of octopus, and they live in oceans all throughout the world. So let's learn more about them right now. They belong to the group of animals called mollusks. But first we should clarify. A lot of people think this, but did you know that a squid is not an octopus? A squid has a triangular head, two fins and tentacles, as well as arms. Hey, guess what? Most people think that octopuses have eight arms. They actually have both feet and arms. Six of those they use as arms and two act more like legs. And these help the octopus walk along the seabed and push off when swimming. An octopus has a soft bag-like body and very large eyes. An octopus's long arms reach out in all different directions, and each arm has two rows of cup-shaped suckers that are very, very strong. And the reason why these suckers have so much power is because each of the arms of an octopus can have over 200 of them that are made up of tiny complex muscles. An octopus does not have a skeleton, which means that they don't have bones in their arms or body. This makes octopuses one of the most flexible animals on earth. A large octopus can slip inside a small bottle like a soda And hey, guess what? Did you know that an octopus has a hard beak like a parrot? It uses this to break into crabs and other shellfish to eat them. The beak is made of cartilage and is located inside the head. Wait, the beak is located inside the head? Did you really have to say that? I mean, where else would the beak be? Oh, good. Now we got that all cleared up. What? Well, inside that head is the brain of an octopus, which is very big and complicated. And an octopus has great long-term memory and is good at solving problems, believe it or not. In fact, they have nine brains, one main central brain and eight smaller brains that control one arm or leg each. They don't have lungs or spines, but the octopus has three hearts. There are two smaller hearts that pump blood to the gills, while a third larger heart circulates the blood to the rest of the body. Octopus's arms can grow back, so if they lose one, they can grow a new one. And an octopus is an expert in camouflage. Octopuses have special color cells in their skin that helps them hide from predators. Do you know what octopus's other plural word is? Octopi? That sounds delicious. An octopus can change color quickly depending on its surroundings or its mood. It can be gray, brown, pink, blue, green, or even an angry red if it suddenly gets frightened. An octopus usually crawls along the ocean bottom on its arms searching for food. Usually octopuses eat crabs and lobsters, but skillful hunters, they're able to attack large prey like sharks. If an octopus is in danger, it shoots a jet of water out of its body through a muscular tube called a siphon, and this can move the octopus backward up to 25 miles per hour in very short bursts of course. Sometimes an octopus also may release an inky fluid to darken the water and confuse an enemy. Another thing an octopus does is imitate other sea creatures like jellyfish, sea snakes, and crabs to try to scare off predators. Most types of octopus live near the coast and make their homes in rocks and corals. Most of them are solitary, which means that an octopus will live mostly alone. Octopuses are also very protective of their homes and will fight off anyone who comes near. To build their home, they use their powerful arms and the suckers and they can even build a rock door that pulls closed when the octopus is home. A female octopus spends all of her time lovingly cleaning and protecting them. In fact, she's so preoccupied with looking after her eggs that she forgets to eat and eventually dies of starvation shortly after they hatch. And hey, guess what? Did you know that an octopus has blue blood? And this is because their blood contains a blue copper called hemocyanin, which helps them survive in low-oxygen water. The full name of the world's largest octopus is the giant Pacific octopus. From the top of its body to the tips of its arms, it measures almost 14 feet. Also beware of the blue-winged octopus, also called the blue octopus. I think I might be related to that guy. And this brightly colored tiny predator lives in the Pacific Ocean and even though it looks cute, it can kill. It's the only species of octopus whose venom is actually harmful to humans. Well hey, guess what? Now we know all about octopuses. Thanks for watching and don't forget to smash that thumbs up button. It really helps out our channel. It sure does. Make sure you subscribe. Bye.