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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.
Cephalopod limbs bear numerous suckers along their ventral surface as in octopus, squid and cuttlefish arms and in clusters at the ends of the tentacles (if present), as in squid and cuttlefish. [9] Each sucker is usually circular and bowl-like and has two distinct parts: an outer shallow cavity called an infundibulum and a central hollow ...
The octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus is known to mimic a number of different venomous organisms it cohabitates with to deter predators. [45] While background matching, a cephalopod changes its appearance to resemble its surroundings, hiding from its predators or concealing itself from prey.
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).
Hectocotyli are shaped in many distinctive ways, and vary considerably between species. The shape of the tip of the hectocotylus has been much used in octopus systematics. Many coleoids lack hectocotyli altogether. [6] Among Decapodiformes (ten-limbed cephalopods), generally either one or both of arms IV are hectocotylized.
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]
Wunderpus photogenicus, the wunderpus octopus, is a small-bodied species of octopus with distinct white and rusty brown coloration. [2] 'Wunderpus' from German "wunder" meaning 'marvel or wonder'. [3] Due to the appearance and behavior of the wunderpus, it is frequently confused with its close relative, the mimic octopus.