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An octopus (pl.: octopuses or octopodes [a]) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (/ ɒ k ˈ t ɒ p ə d ə /, ok-TOP-ə-də [3]).The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids.
The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a mollusk belonging to the class Cephalopoda. Octopus vulgaris is one of the most studied of all octopus species, and also one of the most intelligent. It ranges from the eastern Atlantic, extends from the Mediterranean Sea and the southern coast of England , to the southern coast of South Africa.
Octopodiformes is a superorder of the subclass Coleoidea, comprising the octopuses and the vampire squid.All living members of Octopodiformes have eight arms, either lacking the two tentacles of squid (as is the case in octopuses) or modifying the tentacles into thin filaments (as in vampire squid).
Opisthoteuthidae are a group of octopuses characterized by a web of skin in between their arms. They broad U-shaped shell that support muscles for a pair of small fins on the mantle, these fins are far less developed than other families in Cirrina and essentially only act as stabilizers when the animal swims (using a medusoid motion of the arms and webbing). [1]
One of the most recent sightings of the glass octopus occurred in 2021, when marine scientists from Boston University captured video of two glass octopuses while aboard the Falkor research vessel. [ 3 ] It has a mantle length up to 11 cm (4.3 in) and a total length up to 45 cm (18 in) in adults.
The longitudinal muscles run parallel to the length of the octopus and they are used in order to keep the mantle the same length throughout the jetting process. Given that they are muscles, it can be noted that this means the octopus must actively flex the longitudinal muscles during jetting in order to keep the mantle at a constant length.
An octopus in a zoo. Due to their intelligence, cephalopods are commonly protected by animal testing regulations that do not usually apply to invertebrates. In the UK from 1993 to 2012, the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) was the only invertebrate protected under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. [48]
Like many other octopuses, the blanket octopus uses ink to intimidate potential predators. [7] Also, when threatened, the female unfurls her large net-like membranes that spread out and billow in the water, greatly increasing her apparent size. Blanket octopuses usually live in coral reefs, where they hunt for food, which consists of small fish.