Mollusks, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 14, 2009

Clever Octopus Builds a Mobile Home

An octopus that uses coconut shells as portable armor is the latest addition to a growing list of animals that use tools. The veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) apparently can stack discarded coconut shell halves just as one might pile bowls, sits atop them, makes its eight arms rigid like stilts,...

Mar 4, 2010

Clever Octopus Mimics a Fish

When it comes to blending in, the Atlantic longarm octopus is a pro, expertly changing color to match the sea floor. But when invisibility just won't do, this octopus has another trick up its eight sleeves: Make like a flounder. Researchers have captured photos and video of the Atlantic longarm...

Mar 22, 2010

Octopuses React to Predators and Prey on TV

Octopuses rely on visual cues to identify predators, prey and other marine creatures. Yet it has been difficult for researchers to study the animals' reactions to their natural environments, because the scientists can't control what might swim or crawl by an octopus — that is, until the advent of HDTV....

Aug 27, 2010

Astonishing Octopus Is Master of Disguise

By peering into the genes of the mimic octopus, which has the mind-boggling ability to shift its color and shape to impersonate anything from sea snakes to stingrays, scientists are now uncovering the evolutionary steps it took to become a master of disguise. The eight-legged oracle known as Paul the...

Sep 3, 2010

Mystery of the Floating Octopus Solved

As far back as Aristotle, naturalists have wondered why the females of a strange group of octopuses sport a thin, papery shell when plenty of their tentacled cousins are essentially naked, letting all their slime hang out. Now, observations indicate the so-called Argonaut octopus uses the outer shell to trap...

May 12, 2011

Squidward, It's You! An Octopus Knows Who's Who

When one octopus meets another octopus, the leggy animal remembers the acquaintance for at least a day, a new study indicates. Recognizing a fellow member of your species is called individual recognition. Mammals, like humans, birds and even fish, are capable of what is known as true individual recognition in...

Nov 10, 2011

Transparent Octopus Goes Opaque in Blink of an Eye

Two deep-ocean species of cephalopod, an octopus and a squid, can go from transparent to opaque in the blink of an eye, a new study finds. This impressive camouflage swap is an adaptation that likely keeps the cephalopods safe from two different types of predators. The first are deep-sea creatures...

Dec 20, 2011

Smithsonian's New Giant Pacific Octopus Named

The National Zoo's new Giant Pacific octopus is one curious creature. Now it has a name to match its personality: Pandora. The octopus had a chance to pick its own name by choosing one of four names dropped into its tank. When the octopus didn't touch one of the objects...

Jan 4, 2012

Tiny Fish Filmed Mimicking Octopus That Mimics Fish

A new film captures a circular game of copycat: a fish that mimics an octopus that mimics fish. First described by scientists in 1998, the remarkable mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) can shift its shape, movements and color to impersonate toxic lionfish, flatfish and even sea snakes. Such mimicry allows it...

Jan 5, 2012

How Octopi Deal With Chilly Waters

The chilly waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans are enough to slow anyone down. But octopi that have relocated to these areas play tricks with their genetic material to keep moving. Cold temperatures slow us down because all molecules move slower in colder temperatures, including those proteins that send...

May 23, 2012

Octopus Foils Predators by Stealing Identities

Instead of blending in with the background, octopuses hide from predators by taking on the shape and color of specific objects in their environment, new research suggests. Octopuses are considered to be the master of camouflage. An octopus can change its color, pattern and texture of its skin in an...

Oct 18, 2012

Rare Discovery: Tropical Octopus Caught in Los Angeles

Warm ocean currents off the coast of Southern California delivered a surprise to a couple of squid fishermen this past weekend. A female argonaut ― an octopus also called a paper nautilus ― turned up in their bait box, The Daily Breeze reported Oct. 16. The men recognized the rare...

Dec 13, 2013

8 Crazy Facts About Octopuses

The amazing octopus Antarctic octopus (Paraledone turqueti). (Image credit: E. Jorgensen, NOAA 2007)Everyone knows that octopuses have eight sucker-covered arms. And if you're a linguistic know-it-all, you're probably well aware that they're called octopuses and not octopi. But did you know that all octopuses have venom? Or than some have...

Dec 13, 2013

Odd Octopus: What It's Like to Be a Clever 8-Armed Creature

Imagine for a moment what it might be like to be an octopus. You're smart. You might even be able to use tools. But most of your brain cells are packed into your limbs — eight infinitely flexible arms that seem to think for themselves. You're a loner. You seek...

Feb 19, 2014

Video: Diver Wrestles Giant Octopus, And Wins

A new video has captured a man's epic undersea battle — with a giant octopus. A scuba diver, 56-year-old Warren Murray, and his diving buddy, 34-year-old David Malvestuto, were exploring a cove off Carmel, Calif., when they spotted an elusive 8-foot-long (2.4 meters) giant Pacific Octopus that blended in with...