Times of the Islands Spring 2020

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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources BARBARA SHIVELY Octopuses are among the most intelligent of animals without a backbone, as they have one of the largest of invertebrate brains. The Elusive Octopus Octopus spotting in the TCI. By Dr. Caitlin E. O’Brien, The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies Caribbean waters are home to several species of octopus, which are some of the most extraordinary creatures of the ocean. Octopuses (not octopi) can be more difficult to spot than many other marine creatures, but the experience of seeing one is well worth the effort. 34 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources What are they? Octopuses are Molluscs in the Class Cephalopoda, along with squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. The word “cephalopod” originates from the Greek words for “head” and “foot,” referring to the fact that their heads are attached directly to their “feet.” Cephalopods first appeared around 500 million years ago as shelled creatures known as ammonites, nautiluses and belemnites. Ammonites later went extinct, existing today only as spiral fossils popular with collectors. Most nautilus died out too, although six species still exist in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Belemnites eventually evolved into the 800 or so species of squid, cuttlefish and octopus known today. Among these, most of the approximately 300 species of octopus live in shallow, coastal areas, although a few deep-sea and pelagic species are also known. Octopus biology is quite bizarre. In addition to a soft body with eight arms (not tentacles), they possess three hearts and have blue blood due to the presence of copper (hemocyanin) rather than iron (hemoglobin). The arms are also quite extraordinary. Covered with hundreds of flexible suckers, they are capable of adhering to almost any surface with considerable force. Not only do they assist octopus in locomotion, but the suckers also have the ability to “taste” in order to help locate tasty critters under rocks and corals. Equally extraordinary is the fact that an arm severed from the body will eventually grow back, and sometimes an octopus will even intentionally sacrifice one to a predator in order to escape. Octopus have a wide range of near-supernatural tricks to protect themselves. They can avoid being seen in the first place due to their ability to change the color, iridescence and texture of their skin. Small sacs of ink expand and contract to instantly create different colors and patterns, and to modify the skin’s reflectiveness. The effect is accentuated by muscles that can raise or smooth out patches of skin (papillae) to create a rough texture resembling algae. When threatened, octopuses can escape by squeezing themselves through any hole larger than their parrot-like beak. Alternatively, they can propel themselves rapidly away by quickly sucking in water and shooting it out their siphon. They may also eject ink at the same time, either in the form of a gelatinous blob to act as a diversion or as a “smokescreen” to hide behind. Predators of octopus include sharks, dolphins, eels, large fish and humans. Octopuses are largely asocial creatures, only seeking out other octopus towards the end of their lifespans in order to mate. Before then, they try to steer clear of others in order to avoid being eaten by one of their own. Octopuses have only one reproductive event in their A common octopus swims across the sea floor. It prefers to hunt crustaceans and bivalves in rocky areas and coral reefs at dawn and dusk. V. DI MICCOLI Times of the Islands Spring 2020 35
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