{"id":40034,"title":"Octopus Facts","description":"Love octopuses? Read our octopus facts, see our colour changing octopus video and shop our octopus t-shirts.","content":"<p>We feature lots of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/collection\/octopus-gifts\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>octopus t-shirts and gifts <\/u><\/a>on our store. We love them. You love them. It\u2019s time to get to know them a little better. Let\u2019s dive in with some octopus facts.<\/p><h3><strong>Octopuses can change colour and texture<\/strong><\/h3><p>First let\u2019s watch this video of an octopus changing colour to see the process in action:<\/p><div data-youtube-video=\"\"><iframe class=\"youtube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4d5y2XDNIU8\"><\/iframe><\/div><p>The incredible footage was filmed by Ciara Taylor, a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mcsuk.org\/ocean-emergency\/people-and-the-sea\/hyym\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Hiraeth Yn Y M\u00f4r<\/u><\/a> Project Assistant here at the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mcsuk.org\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Marine Conservation Society<\/u><\/a>. It shows a curled octopus sneaking out from underneath a rock on Menai Bridge beach in Anglesey (Ynys M\u00f4n), North Wales. We see white tentacles first, but the moment the octopus\u2019 body emerges, it transforms from white to orange.<\/p><h3><strong>How do they do it?<\/strong><\/h3><p>Their brains are connected to muscles in their skin. These muscles are then connected to millions of sacs with different colour pigments. Stretching and relaxing these sacs causes an octopus\u2019 skin change to any number of colours and patterns, within a fraction of a second.<\/p><p>Similarly, expanding and relaxing muscles called papillae allows them to change the texture of their skin.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:right;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/cupm0t8kzmcsmrzyncpt2sydv6diqzcika6moezmrbakdbns.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"coconut octopus on seabed\" title=\"coconut octopus on seabed\" \/>Image credit: Shutterstock \/ DiveIvanov<\/p><h3><strong>Why do octopuses change colour and texture?<\/strong><\/h3><p>These fascinating features let octopuses seamlessly blend in with their surroundings. So, when a predator approaches, there\u2019s no worrying about outrunning them, they simply disappear into the background.<\/p><p>Colour and texture changing also allows them to look like other creatures. This provides the perfect disguise from predators, as well as being a clever way to sneak up on prey.<\/p><p>Octopus colour changing is also a method of communication. It can be used to attract mates, ward off predators, and even express emotions.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:right;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/dkgoiblivgt6vbmwuqpdgwenqs1hrjcoly2a8icovet8sjmk.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"Curled octopus on ocean bed with sediment on the middle of its head\" title=\"Curled octopus on ocean bed with sediment on the middle of its head\" \/>Image credit: Kirsty Andrews<\/p><h3>Octopuses can walk on land<\/h3><p>The footage from Ciara\u2019s video shows how octopuses use their tentacles to crawl across rocks and seaweed, before making their way back to the sea (which is exactly what happened to the one in Ciara\u2019s video). If you spot one yourself, do as Ciara did and give it space to move. If it looks injured, contact the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdmlr.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>British Divers Marine Life Rescue<\/u><\/a> and refrain from touching it. If unharmed, it will know exactly what to do and that\u2019s because:<\/p><h3>Octopuses are incredibly clever<\/h3><p>As well as walking on land and changing colour, clever octopuses can open just about anything and are great problem solvers. They\u2019ve even been known to find their way around mazes. Another intelligent move is that they build their own stone fortresses to give them a safe space to sleep.<\/p><p>Their brains are seriously impressive but their intelligence isn\u2019t all stored in their heads. They actually have mini brains to control each of their arms, so that every arm can move and act independently without their main brain even getting involved. It\u2019s a really impressive design feature, but it\u2019s not the only special addition that they have.<\/p><h3><strong>Octopuses have three hearts<\/strong><\/h3><p>They have one heart to pump blood around their body, and two extra ones, bronchial hearts, that pump blood to their gills. The extra two hearts are important because it\u2019s in the gills that an octopus\u2019 blood gets oxygenated (bit of a tongue twister there!). The bronchial hearts then pump that oxygenated blood back into the main systemic heart, and it in turn pumps it around the octopus\u2019 body, giving the muscles and organs energy. Octopuses need a lot of oxygen, so the three hearts work together to get the job done.<\/p><p style=\"text-align:right;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ikb5idrftem6qxz9bwa0cdws6yizmabbi57r6bkofb92hwb3.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"curled octopus photographed on ocean bed\" title=\"curled octopus photographed on ocean bed\" \/>Image credit: James Lynott<\/p><h3>Octopuses have blue blood<\/h3><p>Octopuses need a different protein to transport the oxygen in their blood. Us humans need haemoglobin, an iron rich protein that gives our blood it\u2019s bold, red colour. To survive in the ocean depths, octopuses need a copper rich protein in their blood called haemocyanin, which gives it the blue colour.<\/p><h3><strong>There are over 300 species of octopuses<\/strong><\/h3><p>The octopus wolfi, the smallest octopus species, is only a couple of centimetres long, whereas the biggest ever recorded octopus was 30 foot long with its arms stretched out. That\u2019s longer than a bus! The one in Ciara\u2019s video is a curled octopus. They grow to around 50 cm and get their name from how they curl the end of their tentacles when resting.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/r6ttimjobft324r2fgor1b0hugx5qq9jicom29awyd5lzzqt.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"Man wearing a short sleeved t-shirt with an octopus and semi circle of fish on the print\" title=\"Man wearing a short sleeved t-shirt with an octopus and semi circle of fish on the print\" \/><em>The <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/product\/octopus-mens-t-shirt\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><u>octopus t-shirt<\/u><\/em><\/a><em>, available in XS to 5XL, part of our <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/collection\/octopus-gifts\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><u>Octopus Collection<\/u><\/em><\/a><\/p><h3><strong>Celebrating octopuses<\/strong><\/h3><p>Here at the Marine Conservation Society store, we celebrate all octopuses and their incredible range of talents. Whether you are looking for an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/product\/octopus-mens-t-shirt\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>octopus t-shirt<\/u><\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/product\/octopus-ceramic-mug\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>mug<\/u><\/a> or <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/product\/octopus-by-susie-rogers-art-print\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>art print<\/u><\/a>, we\u2019ve got you covered. Explore our range of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/collection\/octopus-gifts\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>octopus gifts<\/u><\/a> and remember that every time you shop with us, you\u2019re helping to fund our work to make the ocean a safer, healthier and better protected space for all, including our beloved octopus friends.<\/p><p><\/p>","urlTitle":"octopus-facts","url":"\/blog\/octopus-facts\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/octopus-facts\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/mcsshop.org.uk\/blog\/octopus-facts\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1718013556,"updatedAt":1721376698,"publishedAt":1721376698,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":42,"name":"Marine Conservation Society"},"tags":[{"id":3333,"code":"species","name":"species","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/species\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7aplvbijoz2jvw2sxdiwskdpspzbns2rewdc6muyzmvp3okn.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7aplvbijoz2jvw2sxdiwskdpspzbns2rewdc6muyzmvp3okn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7aplvbijoz2jvw2sxdiwskdpspzbns2rewdc6muyzmvp3okn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Octopus Facts and T-shirts","metaDescription":"Love octopuses? Read our octopus facts, see our colour changing octopus video and shop our octopus t-shirts.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":41149,"title":"Why are sea turtles important?","url":"\/blog\/why-are-sea-turtles-important\/","urlTitle":"why-are-sea-turtles-important","division":42,"description":"Sea turtles help keep seas healthy and support life. 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