Today is World Octopus Day!

Facts

An octopus is an eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda.  Each limb contains its own mini-brain.

There are 300 species of octopuses (octopi), within the class Cephalopoda along with squid and cuttlefish.

Octopi can live from 2 to 15 years.

Octopuses love to eat crabs and sometimes steal them from fishermen's nets.

They have blue blood (its oxygen contains copper rather than our iron), three hearts and a doughnut- shaped brain that exerts central control over its eight mini-brains. 

Octopi can recognize human faces and have been known to squirt water at those it doesn't like.

Octopuses are able to change both their color and skin texture for camouflage purposes.

A male octopus donates a bunch of sperm to a female and then slowly dies.

The female deposits around 80 eggs in a safe location, cares for them, and when the eggs hatch, their mother dies.

You can view a startling 3D image on Google.  It's amazing!

The Kraken

A legendary sea monster of enormous size, supposed to haunt the coasts of Norway.  Depicted as a giant octopus.  

This scary mythical creature intrigued Victor Hugo and led to depiction by Jules Verne.

"The legend of the Kraken may have originated from sightings of giant squid which may grow to 13-15 meters (40-50 feet) in length."

A recent usage by an election denier quotes the phrase "Release the Kraken" in "The Clash of the Titans" 1981.

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