Definition of octopus - What it is, Meaning and Concept

An octopus is an aquatic invertebrate that is part of the mollusks .It has a soft, shellless body that protect it, and it has eight tentacles .By this feature, octopuses are also known as octopods.

These tentacles have suckers that are adherent.Octopuses also have three hearts: a couple of them are responsible for carrying blood to the gills, while the rest promotes circulation to other body regions.

Other important features within the octopus organism are the presence of a kind of sifon that allows it to expel water to advance and a ink reserve that the animal uses to escape predators.

Octopuses are carnivorous and usually hunt at night.Bivalve organisms, small-sized crustaceans and certain fish are part of the diet of this animal.In turn, the octopus can be attacked by large fish such as grouper or conger.To protect itself, it usually spends much of the day hidden between rocks or in caves, and even appeals to camouflage.

The octopus meat is very popular in several countries.It provides selenium , potassium , phosphorus , iron and vitamin B , among other nutrients.A negative factor from a nutritional point of view, octopus has a high amount of sodium and cholesterol.

It should be noted that the octopus is an animal of great intelligence , which shows good memory and powers to solve the problems that appear along the way.ability to mimic the behavior of other animals.

The appearance of the octopus has been reason enough to make him the antagonist of more than one horror story, both in its original form and in own versions of the fantasy.However, his huge eyes, his eight tentacles and his great head are not the main reason why this living being stands out, but his most admirable trait is the ability with which he deceives his enemies and escapes them.

The octopus has several very effective tactics to save its life when it is attacked by its predators, either avoiding the encounter or frustrating the attempts of others.Its technique most remarkable is to hide without leaving the scene , in front of the enemy's eyes; Thanks to the network of specialized muscles and pigment cells of your skin, it is able to mimic almost instantly with its surroundings, matching the shapes and imitating the colors and textures of the surrounding elements.

According to the record, it seems that predators such as eels, dolphins and sharks can completely ignore the presence of a mimetized octopus with its surroundings, even if they swim next to the .luck is not always on your side; when they discover it, their ace under the sleeve is their characteristic ink, which serves to prevent them from seeing it clearly and diminish the olfactory capacity of their attackers, so that they also find it difficult to follow the trail .

As if all this were not enough, the octopus is able to swim at high speed, since it can propel itself through the expulsion of water through its mantle.Besides, since its body It is very flexible, it can enter through cracks and cracks of little size, almost infallibly mocking its robust predators.When they catch it by one of its tentacles, it can get rid of it and regenerate it after a while, without causing irreversible disorders.

The octopus usually feeds on mollusks, lobsters and crabs.It has powerful jaws and a poisonous saliva that allows it to immobilize its prey.