Octopuses

1. Did you know that an octopus that is the size of a football could fit through a hole as small as a quarter! That is because the body of an octopus is completely soft except for their hard beak. As long as their beak can fit through a hole, the rest of their body can follow.

2. The largest species of octopus is the Giant Pacific Octopus, which can weigh over 50 pounds. They not only eat shrimp, but also birds and small sharks!

3. Octopus are sometimes called cephalopods because they belong to a class of animal called Cephalopoda. Squids and cuttlefish are cephalopods too!

4. The word Cephalopod means “head foot” in Greek. That is because cephalopods, like octopuses and squids, have heads that directly connects to their arms, which they use like feet.

5. Most octopuses rely on turning their body different colors to help blend into their environment, but the coconut octopus uses a different kind of tool. They will pick up coconut shells or other tools to use as shields when walking around the ocean floor.