Animal of the Month

1. Octopuses are ocean-living invertebrates (animals without a backbone) with eight arms, soft bodies, well developed brains, and complex nervous systems.
2. There are more than 200 different species of octopus, ranging in size from 300 grams to 9 kilograms.
3. The pupils of octopuses' eyes are rectangular, and they have excellent colour vision.
4. Octopuses are some of the most intelligent invertebrates. They have a good memory, are able to learn and have varying personalities. Octopuses have also been observed playing in captivity, repeatedly releasing bottles or toys into a circular current in an aquarium and then catching them. One octopus in a German zoo taught himself to open jars after watching people open them.
5. In many parts of the world, people eat octopuses. In some places, they are eaten alive, either whole or cut up and served with their arms still squirming.
6. In some countries, octopuses are used in animal experimentation. In the UK, octopuses are protected under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, so they have the same legal protection as vertebrates.
7. Octopuses collect bottle caps, attractive stones and other finds from the ocean floor and decorate their dens with them, repositioning an object if it doesn’t seem to suit the design. Otto, an octopus in captivity, regularly redecorates his tank.
8. In captivity, some octopuses have been known to eat their own limbs because of stress.
9. On some occasions, octopuses in the wild have reportedly left the water to hunt for food. In captivity, octopuses have also been known to wait until dark to break out of their tanks to steal food.
10. Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. Two hearts are used to pump blood to the gills, and the third pumps blood throughout the body.