10 cool facts about Octopus for kids
Off all the creatures that reside in the sea, Octopus happens to be one of the most fascinating and the least understood creatures. Here are ten cool facts we have compiled for kids about Octopus. Reading fascinating facts about the Octopus will help kids appreciate the animal.
1. Octopus arms have a mind of their own!! Well almost! About 2/3rd of the octopus’ neurons are located in the arms. The arms can actually taste and believe it or not act of their own accord without coordinating with the main brain.
Another amazing thing about the arm is it can regenerate itself much like the lizard’s tail.
2. They have a lot of heart! Quite literally! The octopus has 3 hearts. 2 hearts help with taking oxygen to the gills and the third one helps circulation in the rest of the body. The third heart stops when they swim, so the octopuses usually avoid swimming and prefer to crawl
3. The octopus are Royal! Well they are literally blue blooded. The blue blood is because the protein, haemocyanin, which carries oxygen around the octopus's body, contains copper rather than iron like we have in our own hemoglobin. This component helps them survive in harsh environments.
4. A female octopus can lay up to 400,000 eggs. The eggs can take anywhere between 5 months to 4.5 years to hatch. But the female octopus deserves the first prize in motherhood. From the moment she lays the eggs to the time it hatches , she spends her entire life protecting them, ignoring even the most basic form of self care such as eating .
5. They are very intelligent creatures and can use object to build tools. They build their own homes, with coconut shells and other objects.
6. They have some really amazing defense mechanisms up their sleeve. They are masters of camouflage blending into the environment like no other animal can. They can spray ink; this ink reduces the predator’s vision and ability to hunt. They can also create a decoy by slicing off one of their arm. While the predator is busy following the arm, they hide and regrow the arm
7. The common octopus is between 12 to 26 inches in length and can weigh anywhere between 3 to 10 kgs. The largest octopus is the Pacific Octopus and can grow upto 5 meters long and weigh upto 50 kgs. The smallest octopus is the Octopus wolfi. It is smaller than an inch (2.5 cm) long and weighs less than a gram.
8. They don’t have any bones and they are the most flexible beings on earth . They can squeeze themselves through the smallest holes to escape predators.
9.It is found all over the world and prefers to be in the shallow end of the sea in rocks and coral reefs. Some species also live in deep sea. Octopus are eaten by humans in many parts of the world.
10. There are over 300 species of octopus, there is a very fascinating one called the coconut octopus. It walks on two legs and is often seen carrying coconut shells on its head for tool use
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Check out the cool octopus Flash card which is part of our Creative Brain Flash Card Series.
At Ekdali, we have built Creative Brain Animal Flash cards for kids. The above illustration is part of the Flash Card set – You may but them here - https://www.ekdali.com/product/creative-brain-animal-flash-cards
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