The octopus is a member of the family cephalopods. In the people, he is better known as an octopus, as he has eight huge tentacles. Since ancient times, there have been many legends and myths about this inhabitant of the seas. For example, sailors believed that a giant kraken octopus lived in the ocean, capable of dragging an entire ship underwater. These representatives of cephalopods form two suborders: deep-sea octopuses (Cirrata) and real octopuses (Incirrata).

The sizes of most octopuses do not exceed half a meter, only the common octopus, Apollyon, Hong Kong octopus and Doflein are classified as large. Some species are poisonous. They live in subtropical and tropical seas and oceans, most often in coastal rocky areas. They feed on crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Octopuses breathe with gills, they can be out of water for a short time.

Anatomy and physiology of octopuses

The octopus or octopus is a typical representative of cephalopods. Their body is compact, soft, rounded. The length of an adult octopus ranges from from 1 centimeter to 4 meters. The mass of the octopus can reach 50 kilograms.

On the body of the octopus there is a mantle, which is a leather bag. The length of the mantle in males reaches 9.5 centimeters, and in females - 13.5 centimeters. Octopus has no bones. Because of this feature, he can easily change his shape and stay in a limited space.

The octopus has eight tentacles that are interconnected. As a connector - a thin membrane. Located on the tentacles suckers in 1-3 rows. The number of suckers in an adult can reach two thousand. One suction cup can hold approximately 100 grams of weight. In this case, retention occurs only due to the work of the muscles, and not due to adhesion.

The mouth opening is where the tentacles grow from. Mouth equipped two strong jaws , similar to the beak of birds. In the pharynx there is a grater-like radula that grinds food. The anal opening is hidden under the mantle.

common octopus can change color. This occurs under the influence of signals that the nervous system transmits in response to external environment. In its normal state, the octopus is brown, in case of danger - white, and if angry - red.

The eyes of an octopus are similar to human ones: large with crystal and outward oriented retina. It is noteworthy that the pupils have the shape of a rectangle.

Features of the organism of octopuses

This cephalic mollusk has three hearts: one is responsible for distributing blood throughout the body, the other two are responsible for conducting blood through the gills.

The octopus has highly developed brain and bark rudiments. The brain is shaped like a donut. This shape allows the brain to be compactly arranged around the esophagus. Cephalopods are able to perceive not only ordinary sounds, but also infrasound.

Also thanks a huge number taste buds determine the edibility of food. Compared to other invertebrates, the octopus has Very big genome . It has 28 pairs of chromosomes and approximately 33,000 protein-coding genes. According to the latter indicator, the octopus is even ahead of a person.

Lifestyle and behavior of octopuses

Octopuses can live in all seas and oceans in the tropics and subtropics. As a rule, these animals lead a benthic lifestyle alone. They prefer to settle among rocks and algae. They can settle in empty shells of other underwater inhabitants.

For life, they choose a den with a narrow entrance, but spacious inside. Cleanliness is achieved with a funnel. Garbage and leftovers are not kept inside the habitat. On a hard surface, even on a vertical one, octopuses move by crawling with the help of tentacles.

If the octopus needs to swim, then for this, the octopus draws water into the cavity where its gills are located and pushes it with force in the opposite direction. If a change of direction is required, the funnel through which the water is forced out is rotated.

Any of the options for movement of the octopus is very slow, therefore, for hunting, the animal actively uses ambushes and color changes to get food.

The main enemies of octopuses are:

• dolphins;
• whales;
• sea ​​lions;
• sharks;
• seals.

In case of danger, the octopus often fleeing, while releasing a dark liquid from special glands. How long does this liquid stay compact in the water, allowing the octopus to hide. Some zoologists believe that these shapeless spots also play the role of decoys.

In addition, if the tentacle is captured, it can come off due to strong muscle contraction. For some time, the tentacle continues to move, which allows the octopus to break away from the enemy.

Octopus breeding

The breeding seasons are April and October. In some areas, the dates have been shifted and fall into June and October. The octopus mates by releasing sperm from the mantle of the male into the mantle of the female.

Female octopuses after fertilization lay eggs. For masonry, they choose recesses in the ground and arrange a nest, lining it with shells and stones. Octopus eggs are spherical, united in groups of 8-20 pieces.

In one clutch there may be 80 thousand eggs. The octopus takes care of the eggs by passing water, removing dirt and foreign objects. Until the eggs hatch, the female remains at the nest without food. It happens that she even dies after hatching juveniles.

For the first months, newborn octopuses feed on plankton and lead only a benthic lifestyle. After a month and a half, they already reach 12 millimeters and weigh several grams, and upon reaching 4 months they weigh about a kilogram.

Of the entire clutch, only one or two individuals reach sexual maturity. The lifespan of animals can reach 4 years, but as an average octopuses live 1-2 years.

What do octopuses eat

The bottom octopuses, by the nature of their food, are predators of the lurking type. Hiding in their shelter, they patiently lie in wait for the fish swimming by, crabs, lobsters, lobsters and swiftly rush at them, enveloping them with their long arms. The favorite food of octopuses are Kamchatka crabs.

Having caught a crab, the octopus carries it, holding it with tentacles, like hands, to its shelter. Sometimes one octopus drags several crabs at once. They also catch octopuses big gobies and flounders. The capture of prey occurs with the help of suction cups on the tentacles. Their strength is amazing: a sucker with a diameter of 3 centimeters can withstand 2.5-3.5 kilograms.

This is a lot, especially since these animals have hundreds of suckers. Very ingenious experiments were carried out to determine the strength of the suction cups. The octopuses kept in the aquarium were thrown a crab tied to a dynamometer. He instantly grabbed the crab with his hands and hurried to hide with him in the shelter, but the leash did not allow him to do this.

Then the octopus firmly stuck to the crab and began to pull it towards itself with force. At the same time, he held the crab with three hands, and with the rest he stuck to the bottom of the aquarium. Octopuses weighing about 1 kilogram or more could develop a force equal to 18 kilograms.

Octopuses recognize the taste of food not with their tongue, transformed into a grater, but with their hands. The entire inner surface of the tentacles and suckers are involved in tasting food. The sense of taste of these marine animals is unusually subtle, they even taste their enemies.

Octopuses prefer to eat:

1. Fish.
2. crustaceans.
3. Marine animals and shellfish.

If you drop a drop of water near the octopus, taken from the aquarium where the moray eel lives - the worst enemy of mollusks, the octopus will immediately turn purple and take off running.

Like many other cephalopods, octopuses belong to carnivores. They capture their food with tentacles and kill it with poison, and only then they begin to consume it inside. If the victim is caught with a shell, then the octopus breaks it with its “beak”, located near the mouth.

Octopuses, or octopus(lat. Octopoda from other Greek. ὀϰτώ "eight" and πούς "leg") - the most famous representatives cephalopods. The typical octopuses described in this article are representatives of the suborder Incirrina, bottom animals. But some representatives of this suborder and all species of the second suborder, Cirrina- pelagic animals living in the water column, and many of them are found only at great depths.

Anatomy and Physiology

The body is short, soft, oval behind. The mouth opening is located at the point where its tentacles converge, and the anal opening opens under the mantle. The mantle resembles a wrinkled leather bag. The mouth of the octopus is equipped with two powerful jaws similar to the beak of a parrot. There is a grater (radula) in the pharynx that grinds food.

The head carries eight long tentacles - "arms". "Hands" are interconnected by a thin membrane and have from one to three rows of suction cups. There are about 2000 of them on all eight tentacles of an adult octopus, each of which has a holding force of about 100 g, and, unlike those created by man, the octopus's suction cups require effort when holding, and not when sucking, that is, they are held only by muscle effort.

Octopuses have an unusual ability - due to the lack of bones, they can change shape. For example, some octopuses during the hunt are flattened on the bottom, disguised as a flounder. They can also freely pass into holes with a diameter of 6 centimeters and stay in a limited space, which is 1/4 of the volume of the body.

Nervous system and sense organs

Weight

Some species reach enormous sizes - total length up to 300 cm and weight up to 50 kg (Nesis, 1982; Filipova et al., 1997). According to other sources, Doflein's octopus reaches a length of 960 cm and a mass of up to 270 kg (High, 1976; Hartwick, 1983).

Lifespan

Many species winter in deeper waters, and migrate to shallow waters in summer.

social structure

Single, territorial. Often nests next to octopuses of the same size

reproduction

The nest is a hole in the ground lined with a shaft of stones and shells. Eggs are spherical, connected in groups of 8-20 pieces. After fertilization, the female arranges a nest in a hole or cave in shallow water, where she lays up to 80 thousand eggs. The female always takes care of the eggs: she constantly ventilates them by passing water through the so-called siphon. Tentacles she removes foreign objects and dirt. During the entire period of egg development, the female remains at the nest without food and often dies after hatching.

Eating

Eating octopuses is common in many cultures. In Japanese cuisine, octopus is a common staple used in dishes such as sushi and takoyaki. They are also eaten alive. Live octopuses are cut into thin pieces and eaten for several minutes while the tentacle muscles continue to convulse. Octopuses are also eaten in the Hawaiian Islands. Octopuses are often used in Mediterranean cuisine. Octopus is a source of vitamins B 3 , B 12 , potassium , phosphorus and selenium . Cook the octopuses carefully to get rid of the slime, odor, and ink residue.

Octopod and other cephalopod ink is sought after by artists for its durability and beautiful brown tone (hence the name sepia tone).

Classification

• Class: CEPHALOPODA
  • Subclass: Nautiloidea
  • Subclass: Coleoidea
    • Superorder: Decapodiformes
    • Superorder: Octopodiformes
      • Order: Vampyromorphida
      • Order: Octopoda
        • • • • Genus: † Keuppia
                • View: † Keuppia levante
                • View: † Keuppia hyperbolaris
              • Genus: † Palaeoctopus
              • Genus: † paleocirroteuthis
              • Genus: † Pohlsepia
              • Genus: † Proteroctopus
              • Genus: † Styletoctopus
                • View: † Styletoctopus annae
        • Suborder: Cirrina
          • • Family: Opisthoteuthidae
            • Family: Cirroteuthidae
            • Family: Stauroteuthidae
        • Suborder: Incirrina
          • • Family: Amphitretidae
            • Family: Bolitaenidae
            • Family: Octopodidae
            • Family: Vitreledonellidae
          • Superfamily: Argonautoida
            • Family: Alloposidae
            • Family: Argonautidae
            • Family: Ocythoidae
            • Family: Tremoctopodidae

Bad reputation

Drawing by French naturalist Pierre Denis de Montfort. Early XIX V.

Origin of the species and description

Octopuses (they are also octopuses) are the most common representatives of the cephalopod order. Teutologists - scientists involved in the study of octopuses, distinguish two main orders that differ in their way of life: bottom-dwelling and nomadic. For the most part, octopuses are bottom creatures.

The body of an octopus is completely composed of soft tissues, therefore, in terms of paleontology, research on the origin of octopuses is difficult - after death, they immediately decompose, leaving no traces in the layer. However, European paleontologists have discovered the remains of an octopus imprinted in the once soft soil rocks on the territory.

Video: Octopus

These footprints were left about 95 million years ago. The remains of these octopuses do not differ in any way from modern octopuses - the prints were accurate, right down to the structure of the stomach. There are also other types of fossil octopuses, but the sensational discovery made it possible to establish that octopuses have not changed over millions of years of existence.

The following representatives also belong to the order of cephalopods:

• nautiluses;
• cuttlefish;
• squid.

Interesting fact: Squids are the largest representatives of cephalopods. In 2007, a female colossal squid was caught, which weighed about 500 kg.

The name "cephalopods" was not obtained by chance: several (usually eight) tentacle limbs grow from the head of a representative of the detachment. It is also common that cephalopods do not have chitinous shells or have a very thin chitinous coating that does not protect them from external influences.

Appearance and features

Octopuses are made entirely of soft tissue. Its "head" has an oval shape, from which eight movable tentacles grow. The mouth with jaws that resemble the beak of a bird is located at the point of convergence of all the tentacles - octopuses grab the victim and drag it to their center. The anus is located under the mantle, the leathery sac behind the squid.

The pharynx of the octopus is ribbed, called "radula" - it acts as a grater for food. The tentacles of an octopus are connected by a thin stretching membrane. Depending on the size of the octopus, its tentacles may have one or three rows of suckers. An adult octopus has a total of about 2 thousand suckers, each of which can hold about 100 grams of weight.

Interesting fact: Octopus suction cups don't work like man-made suction cups do in a vacuum. The octopus is sucked with the help of muscular efforts.

The octopus is also interesting because it has three hearts. The first one drives blood through the body, and the other two hearts act as gills, pushing blood for breathing. Some varieties of octopuses have poison, and blue-ringed octopuses that live on the coast are ranked among the most in the world.

Interesting fact: Octopuses have blue blood.

Octopuses are completely boneless and have no skeleton, which allows them to freely change shape. They can spread out along the bottom and disguise themselves as sand, they can climb into the neck of a bottle or a narrow crevice in the rocks. Also, octopuses are able to change their color, adjusting to the environment.

Octopuses vary in size. The smallest representatives can reach a length of 1 cm, the largest - (Doflein's octopus) - 960 cm with a mass of 270 kg.

Where does the octopus live?

They can be found in warm waters seas and oceans at different depths.

Octopuses choose the following places for comfortable resettlement:

• deep bottom, where it comfortably disguises itself as stones and sand;
• sunken objects with many secluded places;
• reefs;
• rocks.

Octopuses hide in small crevices and secluded places, where they can hunt. Sometimes an octopus can climb into a shell left by crustaceans and sit there, but octopuses themselves never make permanent dwellings.

The maximum depth at which octopuses are comfortable to live is 150 m, although deep-sea representatives of the genus can descend 5 thousand meters down, like squids. Occasionally, octopuses can be found in cold waters, where they behave extremely drowsily.

Octopuses know how to swim, although they don't like to do it - swimming creates a vulnerable situation where the octopus is easy to grab. Therefore, they move along the bottom with the help of tentacles. There are no barriers for octopuses in the form of sheer cliffs and vertical surfaces - the octopus makes its way along them with the help of suction cups and grabbing any objects with its tentacles.

When swimming, they move slowly, because they use the cuttlefish method: they take water into their mouths and push it out. Due to their slowness, they mostly hide in shelters and move around in cases of emergency.

What does an octopus eat?

Octopuses are convinced predators that are able to swallow almost any prey, even surpassing them in size. A hungry octopus patiently waits in a secluded place, changing color to camouflage. When prey swims by, it makes a sharp throw, trying to grab it with all its tentacles at once.

Speed ​​in this case is very important - a strong opponent can break out of his grip. Therefore, the octopus immediately pulls the prey into its mouth. Its beak bites through the prey if it does not crawl into the mouth, and the throat performs chewing function- Breaks food into small pieces.

Interesting fact: poisonous octopus extremely rarely use poison to kill prey - it's more like their defense mechanism than a hunting device.

Most often, octopuses feed on the following representatives of the ocean fauna:

• any fish, including poisonous;
• crustaceans, which sometimes give a serious rebuff to octopuses;
• the favorite delicacy of the octopus is lobsters, lobsters and crayfish, which, having seen a formidable predator, tend to swim away from it as soon as possible;
• sometimes large octopuses can catch small ones;
• cannibalism is not uncommon among octopuses. Stronger individuals often eat smaller ones.

There are times when the octopus does not calculate its strength when attacking a particular victim, or it tries to eat the octopus itself. Then there is a fight in which the octopus can lose a tentacle. But octopuses are weakly susceptible to pain, and their tentacles grow back quickly.

Features of character and lifestyle

Octopuses are convinced loners, very attached to their territory. They lead a sluggish, sedentary lifestyle, running from place to place only when necessary: ​​when there is not enough food in the old territory, when enemies appear around, or when they are looking for a partner.

Octopuses consider each other competitors, so one octopus tries to avoid the territory in which another octopus lives. If a collision does occur and the intruder is in no hurry to leave, then a fight may occur in which one octopus risks being injured or eaten. But such encounters are extremely rare.

During the day, octopuses hide in a shelter, at night they go out to more open spaces for hunting. Octopuses like to choose various traces of human activity as their home: boxes, bottles, car tires etc. Such houses they live in for a long time. Cleanliness reigns around the house of the octopus: they remove excess debris and dead algae, as if sweeping the environment with a jet of water. Leftovers and rubbish are placed in a separate pile.

For the winter, octopuses descend to the depths, in summer they live in shallow water, and they can sometimes be found on the shore - octopuses are often thrown out by waves.

Social structure and reproduction

Twice a year, the female begins to look for a male to mate with. They form a strong couple and find a home together, which they equip in such a way that it is comfortable to monitor the eggs. Usually such housing is in shallow water.

Octopuses do not have courtship and fights for the female. The female herself chooses the male with whom she wants to have offspring: due to the lazy lifestyle, this is usually the closest male she will find.

The female lays about 80 thousand eggs. She stays with the offspring and zealously protects the masonry. The incubation period lasts 4-5 months, during which the female does not go hunting, is completely exhausted and, as a rule, dies of exhaustion by the time the children appear. The male also takes part in the life of future children, guarding the female and eggs, as well as removing dirt and all kinds of debris from them.

After the appearance of the larvae, they are left to themselves, for the first two months they eat plankton and swim with the flow. So they often become food for cetaceans that feed on plankton. At two months, the larva passes into an adult and begins to lead a bottom lifestyle. Rapid growth allows many individuals to survive. At the age of four months, an individual octopus can weigh 1-2 kilograms. In total, octopuses live 1-2 years, males live up to 4 years.

Natural enemies of the octopus

From natural enemies octopus can be identified those who carry him the greatest danger:

• sharks, including reef sharks;
• , And seals;
• and often play with octopuses, eventually eating them or leaving them alive;
• some big fish.

If an octopus is found by a predator in a state of stealth, the first thing it does is try to swim away. Many species release clouds of ink at the enemy and then swim away - so the octopus buys time until the enemy sees it or is in a state of shock. Also, for the purpose of self-preservation, octopuses clog into narrow crevices and wait until the enemy leaves.

Another one of the peculiar ways to protect the octopus is autotomy. When the enemy grabs the creature by the tentacle, the octopus deliberately detaches it from the body, while he himself flees. This is similar to how a lizard throws off its tail if it is grabbed by it. The tentacle subsequently grows back.

Interesting fact: Some octopuses have been observed to engage in autocannibalism, eating their own tentacles. It is due to disease nervous system, in which the octopus, experiencing the slightest hunger, eats the first thing that, literally, "falls under the arm."

Scientists believe that octopuses are the most intelligent species of invertebrates. They show intelligence and observation in all sorts of experiments. For example, octopuses can open jars and primitive latches; individuals of octopuses are able to put cubes and circles into certain holes that match in shape. The high intelligence of these creatures makes them a rare prey for marine life, most of which do not have this indicator.

Population and species status

The octopus is the object of a large fishery for human consumption. In general, the world catch of octopus per year is about 40 thousand tons, and it is mainly harvested on the coasts and.

Eating octopuses has become almost a global trend, although the Asians were the first to eat them. IN Japanese cuisine octopus is not the most valuable, but running meat. Octopuses are also eaten alive by cutting them into pieces and eating the moving tentacles.

Octopus is rich in B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus and selenium. They are prepared in such a way that during the cooking process they get rid of mucus and ink, although they are sometimes eaten with ink. Fishing does not pose a threat to octopus populations - this is a numerous species that is also bred commercially for restaurants.

With intelligence and high adaptability octopus lived for millions of years, almost unchanged. These amazing animals are still the most common species of cephalopods, despite the fact that they are the object of the largest fishery.

Octopuses are amazing creatures. They amaze with their behavior, high intelligence and size. Therefore, today we will tell you about the most amazing and unusual species these sea ​​creatures.

10 - Genus hapalochlaena

Blue Ring Octopus

The blue-ringed octopus lives in small tide-filled pools and in coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Despite their modest size, these octopuses are considered among the deadliest in the world.

9 - Benthoctopus


Benthic octopus (Benthic octopus)

The benthic octopus is actually a deep-sea species that crawls along the bottom and often lives among the wrecks of sunken ships. Very little is known about this rare and shy creature, mainly that they live mainly in the northeastern part of Atlantic Ocean.

8 - Tremoctopus


Soaring octopus (Blanket Octopus)

This octopus soars thanks to its long transparent web, which stretches between its tentacles like large patches of flesh if the octopus feels in danger. He displays them in full size, appearing larger than he really is.

7 – Vulcanoctopus Hydrothermal


Hydrothermal Vent Octopus Octopus

This small octopus lives near hot hydrothermal vents. Its eyes are covered with thin, translucent skin that helps it see in deep waters.

6 Octopus Wolfi


Octopus-top

This octopus is considered the smallest in the world and it lives in the Indo-Pacific region. If you go looking for him, don't forget to grab a magnifying glass.

5 - Amphioctopus margins


Coconut Octopus (Coconut Octopus)

The coconut octopus is a medium-sized cephalopod that uses coconut shells as a ready-made dwelling. It can also be quite resourceful, using any cover to hide from predators.

4 - Enteroctopus Dofleini


Giant octopus (Giant Pacific Octopus)

Giant octopus living in the north Pacific Ocean, is one of the largest cephalopods on the planet. They grow up to bigger size and live longer than any other species of octopus. In fact, the record for this species was an individual 9.1 meters long.

3 - Thaumoctopus Mimicus

mimic octopus

The mimic octopus got its name because it can imitate other animals like fish and crabs! It lives exclusively in the rich nutrients mouth bays of Indonesia and Malaysia.

2 - Vitrelladonella Richardi


Transparent octopus (Transparent Octopus)

This incredible and rare view deep sea

Octopuses: species and their taxonomy

The octopus squad (lat. Octopoda) includes two suborders: deep-sea (Cirrina) and real (Incirrina).

The suborder of deep-sea or fins combines little-known and most interesting representatives. These animals are found only at great depths. They can swim in the bottom layers of water or live at the bottom. deep sea trenches. Distinctive feature The structure of these mollusks is the presence of fins. These are small creatures, often with a bizarre appearance. This suborder includes about 34 species, 7 genera, consists of 3 orders:

- cirrhotics (Cirroteuthidae);

- opisthoteitovye (Opisthoteuthidae);

- staurotate (Stauroteuthidae).

Giant Pacific Octopus

The suborder of real or finless is the most numerous. Representatives various kinds octopuses, this suborder are famous for their large size. But among them there are many small-sized animals. They live mainly on seabed at shallow depths, sometimes close to the shore. Only a few species of this suborder live on the bottom of the oceans at a depth of up to 8 km. This suborder contains about 180 species, 35 genera and 9 families:

- seven-legged (Alloposidae);

- amphitretids (Amphitretidae);

- argonauts (Argonautidae);

— bolitenidovye (Bolitaenidae);

- Idioctopodidae (Idioctopodidae);

- octopus (Octopodidae);

- kyphoids (Ocythoidae);

- Tremoctopodidae (Tremoctopodidae);

- glass (Vitreledonellidae).

Octopus tentacles with suction cups

Spreading

Cephalopods of this order live in almost all oceans and seas of our planet. These mollusks are especially common in tropical zones, but are also found in the cold seas of the Arctic Ocean. In our country, octopuses are found in all northern seas, with the exception of the White Sea, as well as in Russian seas Pacific Ocean. About 25 of their varieties live here.

These invertebrates live at different depths. In shallow places, relatively close to the coast, you can often meet representatives of real octopuses. They lead the so-called "bottom" way of life. Deep sea representatives Octopoda order inhabit the depths of the oceans. These species of octopuses are perfectly adapted to exist on the ocean floor under the pressure of many kilometers of water.

Lifestyle and behavioral patterns

Most cephalopods of the Octopoda order live at the bottom of the seas and oceans. Some species constantly lead a planktonic lifestyle. They are able to swim in the water column like squids and walk along the bottom using their tentacles. They live at different depths, usually up to 150 m, but deep-sea octopus species live at a depth of several kilometers. At the bottom, these animals hide between stones or in underwater caves, and some even build their own shelter from stones and shells.

These are predators that feed on molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, fish, which they kill venomous bite. They hunt mainly at night. Octopuses are able to change color, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape.

The sense organs of all members of the detachment are well developed. They have good eyesight and a large brain. These invertebrates are different complex behavior, good memory and high intelligence. They are easily tamed and trainable. Females take care of the offspring, guarding the laid eggs.

Since ancient times, people have used cephalopods for food. The meat of many species of octopus is considered a delicacy. Therefore, in some countries they are commercially caught. In places, the number of these animals is sharply reduced due to overfishing.