Interesting Octopus Facts

The following are not rumors, playground whisperings about why Todd’s dad only wears one earring or why Ms. Sorrentino, the 6th Grade English teacher, always wear blue jeans and such big belt buckles. I believe in science. And the hard objective truths about octopus are as follows:

1) Almost all octopus behaviors are independently learned rather than instinct-based. They learn almost no behaviors from their parents, with whom young octopuses have very little contact. Unfortunately, their short lifespan limit the amount they can ultimately learn. The oldest octopus in recorded history could read at a second grade level.

2) They exhibit short and long-term memory as shown by mazes and problem-solving abilities.

3) Octopuses are on the list of experimental animals on which surgery may not be performed without anesthesia. Octopuses express pain by placing two arms in a praying motion.

4) Octopuses have keen eyesight.

5) Octopuses have an excellent sense of touch. Octopuses can taste what it touches. Can you? Didn’t think so.

6) Octopus arms are made up of a type of muscular hydrostat. They move their arms in the same way we can move our tongues.

7) On any given night, Croptop will reach into the freezer and pull out a bag of octopus chips. They are octopus arms sliced cross-sectionally and dried down to the size of a big potato chip. Most likely, the arms are sliced with a deli slicer and, before dried, the arms require the efforts of two men to carry and manipulate.