Octopus predators
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The fins look like the ears of an elephant earning one of these species the name “the Dumbo octopus” after the Disney character Dumbo. There are also a handful of species that fall into the deep-water finned octopus category that have large fins on the side of their heads. These are all shallow-water finless octopus, the most common kind. There are 300 species of octopus, including the common octopus, mimic octopus, blue-ringed sea octopus and the giant Pacific octopus. These arms are used to catch prey, maneuver around the bottom of the ocean and to propel itself through the water. They have large heads, big eyes and eight long arms covered in suckers. Octopuses are invertebrates that live in the ocean. So why is it that octopus have an average lifespan of only 1-2 years? Let’s take a look at why this smart, well adapted, clever animal has such a comparably short life! The background on octopus species The Giant Pacific Octopus is the largest member of the octopus family. The orangutan lives 35-45 years, Bottlenose dolphins 25-29 years, and the elephant up to 70 years. The octopus will then regenerate the lost arm, in a relatively short amount of time.The octopus makes the Top 10 Smartest Animals list, so if you compare its lifespan to the others on the list you might think it would be similar. This further distracts and occupies the attention of the predator while the octopus escapes. Due to the neurons in the arm, it will continue move, without communication from the brain. If the octopus does fall victim to a predator, it has the ability to detatch an arm. This gives the octopus the opportunity the camouflage itself on the reef or to find a hole to retreat into. This chemical irritates the predator’s eyes and blocks their sense of smell making it difficult to track the fleeing octopus. The ink also contains a chemical called tyrosinase. The ink is in large part made of melanin, which is the same substance that gives color to human skin, hair and eyes. The octopus can release several small blobs of ink, which act as a decoy or it can release a large cloud of ink to conceal its escape. In conjunction with the octopus’ jet propulsion, it has the ability to release ink through the siphon, with a burst of water. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the heart that supplies blood to the organs stops beating when they swim, which exhausts the octopus quickly. An octopus will use this method sparingly and generally as a last resort. By moving the siphon, the octopus can quickly change direction. This is accomplished by sucking water into the mantle, contracting the muscles quickly and rapidly forcing the water out through the siphon. The octopus can jet away at speeds of up to 25 m.p.h. When it comes to fight or flight, the octopus will almost always choose flight.
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#Octopus predators skin
Check out this short video to see how the octopus is continually changing his color and skin texture while on the move. The color is also believed to communicate the octopus’ mood, turning white to show fear and turning red to show anger. The areas around the eyes, suckers, arms and web may darken to make the octopus appear more threatening. In addition to camouflage, it is also believed that an octopus uses it color changing ability to communicate with another octopus or to warn predators.
#Octopus predators full
The octopus is said to be able to make a full body transformation in three-tenths of a second.
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The papillae are what gives the octopus the ability to change the texture of their skin. One more weapon in the octopus’ camouflage arsenal are raised points in the skin called papillae. The iridophores have reflective properties that help to mirror the environment. In addition, the octopus has specialized cells called iridophores. By relaxing and contracting muscles around the chromatophores, the octopus is able to create different colors and shadings. The chromatophores contain brown, black, red, orange and yellow pigments.