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‘IF YOU ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO BE NORMAL, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW AMAZING YOU CAN BE.’
MAYA ANGELOU
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THE POWER OF EIGHT
To creatures who are not so blessed in the arm department, eight can seem like a lot. But being different in this way brings with it certain superpowers and means that octopuses can do things other animals can only dream of. Thanks to each arm having its very own brain, octopus arms can move in an almost limitless number of ways independently of each other, and they can even smell, too. They can use a couple of them to open a shellfish, while others are feeling around on the seabed for some more. You could say that this makes octopuses the best multitaskers in the world.
CAN YOU MULTITASK LIKE AN OCTOPUS?
With our relatively few limbs, we humans will never match an octopus for getting lots done at once, but here’s a test to find out how you compare to our cephalopod friends. Start at the top and work your way down, seeing how many things you can do at the same time:
- Pat your head
- Rub your tummy
- Stand on one leg
- Wink with one eye
- Sing a song
Too easy? OK, now try rubbing your head, patting your tummy, hopping, winking with the other eye and singing the song backwards!
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FLEXIBLE LIVING
Octopuses have a lot to teach us about adaptability. Not only are they found in all the world’s oceans – from the lovely, warm shallows of the Caribbean to underwater canyons in the seriously chilly Bering Sea – but individual octopuses are very resourceful about where they make their dens. They are not interested in real estate with an impressive square footage; however, they do like somewhere boutique and cosy, where all their suckers can make contact with all surfaces in case a predator decides to try to drag them unceremoniously out. For this reason, they also like a small entrance they can just squeeze through. In some muddy, sandy areas of the sea floor there’s not much choice, so they have to take what they can get – and this can even include things that we humans have very rudely disposed of into their ocean home. Red octopuses have been known to make their dens in beer bottles, drainpipes and shoes, while some rather grand octopuses in the Mediterranean live in sunken Roman galleons.
OCTOPUS BOOK CLUB
Octopuses don’t get much time to read (plus books don’t last that long underwater). But here are a few of their favourite classics:
- War and Plaice – Leo Tolstoy
- The Grapes of Wrasse – John Steinbeck
- I Capture the Cuttlefish – Dodie Smith
- Harry Sea Otter and the Deathly Shallows – J. K. Rowling
- To Kill a Moray Eel – Harper Lee
- Brighton Rockpool – Graham Greene
- The Camomile Prawn – Mary Wesley
- Tristram Clamdy – Laurence Sterne
- Octo Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
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MOLLUSCS AT THE MOVIES
The octopus community was very pleased to see the sensitive and nuanced characters of Pearl (a flapjack octopus) and Hank (an East Pacific octopus) in Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. Because, frankly, octopuses feel that they have often been misrepresented in popular culture. There’s Ursula, the sea witch in The Little Mermaid, who is decidedly octopus-like, and supervillain Dr Octopus, one of Spiderman’s most challenging adversaries in the Marvel comics. And then there’s the monstrous Kraken that first appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, vengefully dragging ship and crew into the depths. Octopuses know that humans find the mysteries of the ocean quite scary, but they did think that was a little much.
OCTOPUS WISDOM
There’s no need to be afraid of things just because we don’t yet understand them. The octopus says: there is nothing to fear except fear itself. (And sperm whales.)
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CHANGE IT UP
Octopuses may be happiest in their own company, but that doesn’t mean they like to stick to the same routine. Although many octopuses would say crabs are their favourite food, they still eat a wide and varied diet. And, of course, they are always upping and moving house – partly because it’s good to move on if you’ve eaten most of the food in the immediate vicinity, but also because they enjoy a change of scene. It’s unknown whether octopuses are familiar with the human phrase ‘a change is as good as a rest’, but they would certainly agree.
TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Getting stuck in a rut is no good for our creativity, energy levels or overall enjoyment of life. Sometimes, all it takes is a small, new thing to change it up a bit and make you feel energised and engaged. If you’re feeling flat, see how many of these mini challenges you can tick off in a week:
- Start a conversation with someone you’ve never spoken to before.
- Go exploring – walk or cycle somewhere you haven’t been before.
- Cook a dish you’ve never made.
- Listen to a different genre of music to what you usually go for. So if hip hop is your go-to, try some classical; if you’re a rock fan, find some 1960s Motown.
- Ask your friends what their favourite films are and pick the one that seems most different to your usual tastes to watch.
- Learn three new words – in any language you like!
WALK LIKE A COCONUT OCTOPUS
Octopus ingenuity and creativity knows no bounds, and humans are still learning about all the clever things these creatures can do – some of whi...
