Houdini Of The Sea: Giant Pacific Octopus

I would like you to close your eyes and picture this; a creature with three hearts, eight arms, nine brains, no bones, “sees” with its skin, and bleeds blue blood. What sort of grotesque creation did you concoct in your imagination? Now, how surprised would you be if I told you the creature I speak of is something which actually exists, and is in fact the Giant Pacific Octopus? The octopus is fascinating sea creature armed to the gills with unique offensive and defensive capabilities which makes it one of the top predators in the food chain of the sea. In this study, I will be observing the Giant Pacific Octopus, offering insight on the various traits it has exhibited to survive as well as the cognitive skills it has demonstrated in recent studies.

The Giant Pacific Octopus hails from the North Pacific, often being spotted in waters along California, Washington, Russia, and Japan. True to its name, the Giant Pacific Octopus is the largest octopus species recorded to date, with the largest specimen recorded to be as long as 30 feet and weighing in over 600 pounds. It falls under the classification as “cephalopod” and its carnivorous diet mainly consists of fish and shellfish, lobsters, crabs and shrimp. In terms of the Giant Pacific Octopus’ ranking in the food chain, it is only outclassed by sharks and sea otters in its respective food chain. Even then, the octopus has been known to best sharks and otters alike, thanks to its eight arms which are speckled with suction cups called “suckers”.

According to observations made by scientists at the University of Wisconsin, a single arm of a Pacific octopus contains 280 suckers on average. These suckers generate an extremely effective low-pressure seal, which have phenomenal grip strength on just a single cup. Each individual sucker houses several thousand receptors, which provides the octopus with the sense of touch and taste, with the most sensitive part of the sucker being the rims. The mouth of the octopus contains a sharp beak, which is akin to that of a parrot. It retains a honed curvature, which is used to bite and grasp prey after the octopus has ensnared its target in its arms. Within the its beak is a tongue like appendage called a radula, and is lined with small teeth which are used to snatch fish and shellfish. The Giant Pacific octopus contains salivary glands within the folds of the mouth which contain venomous enzymes. This toxic saliva is used to paralyze the prey for easier digestion.

Now that we’ve investigated the Giant Pacific Octopus’ predatory traits to capture prey, let’s delve into its defensive traits in warding off predators. First and foremost is its skin, and its ability to camouflage. Enclosed within the Giant Pacific octopus’ skin are “Chromatophores”, which are pigmentation sacs which provide color shifting capabilities for the octopus to blend into its surroundings. Each chromatophore contains three pigment sacs: brown, yellow, and red. The temperance and appearance are regulated by muscle contractions, which allow the octopus to change the appearance of not only its color, but its texture as well to make it seem more rigid or soft. This is not only a defensive tactic used to ward off predators, but is also the courting method utilized by males to attract females for mating.