Octopus Research Paper

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Cephalopods certainly look alien, so it is hardly surprising that science fiction writers have hijacked their characteristics for imaginary aliens. An octopus has three hearts that pump blue-green blood around its body, using a copper- rather than iron-based carrier for oxygen. Its eight tentacles are covered in suckers that enable it to amble, probe and manipulate with great dexterity. When in danger or enraged, it can switch to jet propulsion, and if danger persists it can eject an ink cloud of confusion and darkness. An octopus has few hard body parts (beak and eyes only), making its body infinitely malleable. It can thread itself through a hole not much larger than the diameter of its eyeball. Studies have shown that octopi have very similar …show more content…

An octopus has three hearts that pump blue-green blood around its body, using a copper- rather than iron-based carrier for oxygen. Its eight tentacles are covered in suckers that enable it to amble, probe and manipulate with great dexterity. When in danger or enraged, it can switch to jet propulsion, and if danger persists it can eject an ink cloud of confusion and darkness. An octopus has few hard body parts (beak and eyes only), making its body infinitely malleable. It can thread itself through a hole not much larger than the diameter of its eyeball.Most cephalopods are active hunters that seek prey (crabs and other molluscs, mostly) in full view of potential predators. Here their soft and tasty bodies are a liability. To counter this vulnerability, evolution has produced the most expert shape-shifters in the animal kingdom. Cephalopods are the ultimate color-changers, able to match their backgrounds in an instant so perfectly that even a keen observer can lose them. As invisibility cloaks go, theirs are close to perfect. Cephalopod skin is like a pixelated video screen. The top layer contains tens of thousands of tiny pockets of three different colors that can be opened and closed at will to display bright reds, yellows, browns or other shades, depending on the palette a particular species has. Below them lies a layer of reflective cells that interacts with stacked plates to create iridescence. Underneath them is another reflective layer to bounce back incoming light.Cephalopod skin patterns are no mere color-matching trick. They are capable of scintillating moving displays, flashing pulses of color like passing clouds, forking silver lighting or shimmering waves from a stone thrown into a pool. Cuttlefish can play two screens at once on their bodies, sending signals to entice a possible mate from one side and

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