strange octopus behaviour

[Oceandvr]

Here's the video of the Tight Squeeze (http://video.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/wnet/nature/octopus/squeeze.rm?altplay=squeeze.rm).
They don't show it on this clip, but later during the show they capture the octopus moving out of its tank into the crab tank.

TIVO alert - TLC is showing this today at 3 PM:
Ultimate Guide, The: Octopus
With eight arms, a boneless body, three hearts, blue blood, and shimmering neon skin, the intriguing octopus remains a mystery. Scientists debate whether these creatures have personalities and wonder how intelligent they really are.
http://tlc.discovery.com/tvlistings/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=20079&gid=0&channel=SCI

 

[knotical]

"Just as we were leaving a quiet bay after snorkelling an OCTOPUS attached itself to my son's legs. It let go but then proceded to come out of the water onto the rocks - it did this a couple of times and also "chased" another swimmer. Is this normal behaviour? why was it doing this?"

Am I the only one who doubts this really happened?

 

[naturalimages]

Am I the only one who doubts this really happened?

As far as I am aware I have no reason to doubt the integrity of the person who asked the question in the first place. The best answer so far has to be that the octopus was maybe used to people feeding it and had become "tame" or just confident around divers. But keep coming up with theories we find all the postings fascinating.

Clive

 

[angryguy777]

This is some really interesting stuff y'all are posting, keep it up, you've sparked my interest. I never knew they could get so damn big too! The PBS site said some in the North Sea and get 30 ft from tip to tip and weigh 100 lbs. That's simply amazing.

-Zak

 

[Scuba]

Octopus, along with squid and cuttlefish, are at the apex of evolution in certain aspects in the constant struggle between prey and predator to outdo the other. These roles reverse at times depending on the specific situation. The predator becomes the prey and viceversa. The octopus and cuttlefish appear to be masterful in both roles, the squid probably is too. We know so little about many of these highly evolved intelligent creatures!

I once saw an octopus during a night dive that began flashing bright neon like color spots in green and deep blue ringed by another color. Awesome show. I have handled a couple out of curiosity as part of the freak shows some vacation spot tour guides provide. They have a slime coating, and most are gentle creatures towards humans that try to harmlessly get away when we mess with them. Obviously some can be dangerous. Handling them can rub off their slime coating making them more susceptible to injury and disease. This is generally true of scaleless fish and some other underwater creatures.

There's a show similar to the octupus one that's been shown on PBS, can't remember the name, where they capture on film a cuttlefish changing and flashing colors while it radically changes its body shape to confuse the prey before striking. An incredible scene that made it resemble some type of futuristic spacecraft straight out of a science fiction Hollywood movie. One of those you have to see it to believe, like the octupus stories.

 

[angryguy777]

what's the difference between cuttlefish and squid? They look quite similar to me.

-Zak

 

[archman]

what's the difference between cuttlefish and squid? They look quite similar to me.

A bit shorter and fatter, and a thick cuttlebone inside. Cuttlefish are primarily bottom-dwelling, as opposed to open water. They're slower and generally more clever. They get very emotional. You can keep cuttlefish in aquaria, if careful. Squid crash into the glass.

 

[Allison Finch]

I have had great experiences playing with octos. My favorite was in Cayman Brac where it climbed all over me and probed everywhere. It was flushing a "pleasure" blue as I stroked it.

My favorite story is an octo with my sister;

Key West night dive....Sister taking photos....wanted photos of an octo so took sardine can for "chum" ( I know you shouldn't...)....found an octo hole surrounded by shell bones.....opened the can of sardines to lure the octo which stayed just out of sight.....octo kept reaching for it, but she kept can just out of reach.....she laid her second strobe on the bottom next to the hole for some backlight......octo reached two arms out and grabbed the strobe and started dragging it toward the hole....sister freaks and grabs the strobe and a tug of war ensues.....while sister is focused on strobe, octo reaches out with two other legs and grabs the, now unguarded, sardine can and drags it into the hole.....after can pulled into hole, octo releases the strobe....sister realizes she'd been duped......sister laughs approx. 900 pounds of air into surrounding water.....octo eats well and never did pose!!!

Octo=1
Diver=0