Gloomy Octopus
Octopus tetricus
DID YOU KNOW?
Octopuses have
a beak like
mouth, a tongue
lined with teeth
and taste with
their suckers!
WOW!
Octopuses have
three hearts and
blue blood!
WHERE AT AQWA
Watch an
octopus tend
to its garden
of rubble and
shells in AQWA’s
Perth Coast.
A smart shaped brain?
Octopuses have a hole in their brain- it’s shaped like a donut! Yet they are one of
the most intelligent invertebrates. Invertebrates are a groups of animals that have
no back bone- more than 95% of animal species belong to this group!
Octopuses have complex problem solving skills, like the ability to open a sealed
container, navigate a maze and identify patterns.
Sea creature superpowers!
Octopuses have amazing superpowers for survival! They can change the colour
of their skin within seconds to communicate or camouflage; they can produce
dazzling bursts of light to stun prey or preditors; and many have highly toxic spit
that paralyses and even kills! Plus, they are so strong they can lift things 20 times
their own weight!
Masters of escape
When a quick escape is needed, octopuses can use their jet-propulsion to gain
distance from a threat. They may also shoot out an ink cloud, which reduces a
predators ability to see and smell them. The ink cloud can even take the form of an
octopus, causing the predator to mistake the ink as its target!
With no bones in their body, octopuses can easily squeeze through tiny crevices to
stalk prey or to make a stealthy getaway.
If they get caught in the jaws of a predator, they have the ability to self-amputate
their caught arm, then grow it back!
Mimic my moves
Octopuses can mimic the movements of other animals! They’re capable of ‘walking’
on two ‘legs’, snake-like slithering, crab walking, open-water swimming and even
drifting like seaweed.
discover more
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