Octopus Facts For Kids Interesting Facts About Octopus For Kids

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blue ringed octopus facts for kids

Octopus Facts For Kids

Interesting Facts About Octopus For Kids

I’m truly excited to be writing an Octopus facts for kids article today. These creatures of the ocean have always intrigued me, and I am excited to really learn more about them along with you! Today we are going to be learning some really amazing and interesting facts about octopus for kids. I hope you have a little time to sit back and enjoy this amazing and fun ocean critter!

Octopus Facts For Kids

Interesting Facts About Octopus For Kids

interesting facts about octopus for kids

Everyone has heard of the Octopus. It’s one of the most famous and easily recognizable creatures on our Earth. There is a lot we don’t know about them, but there is a lot that we do know. Today I want to bring you some of the information that we have learned about the Octopus. Please, enjoy the octopus facts for kids below!
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Octopus Fun Facts For Kids
Scientific Name – Octopoda
Rank- Order
Type- Invertebrate
Diet- Carnivore
Average Life Span In Wild – 1-2 years in wild
Size – 12 to 36 inches (30.5- 91.4 cm)
Weight – 6.6 to 22 pounds (3-10 kg)
Typical Size Compared To A Human octopus facts for kids size

 

Interesting Facts About Octopus For Kids

Octopus Facts For Kids

You have now reached the heart of this article. You are going to learn some really interesting octopus facts for kids. These creatures are truly amazing, and I think you will be impressed by how awesome they are!

Octopus Facts For Kids

 

♦ They may not look like it, but the octopus is actually a predator. They learn quickly in their own environments and adapt to the behavior of other animals.

♦ Octopuses are actually very intelligent. Studies have shows that they adapt and learn very easily. This includes when they observe other octopuses.

♦ They are very good at problem solving, which makes sense considering how good they are at adapting. They can be taught to unscrew a lid or remove a plug to get a prey from a container!

♦ It’s typical for an octopus to collect shells and other objects that surround them to construct a “home” or “garden” around where they live. Some other types of octopuses carry shells for protection.

♦ All varieties of octopuses are venomous. Most do not have the potency or amount to kill a human. The blue ringed octopus is responsible for at least 2 confirmed deaths. They inject venom through their hard nose like beak.

♦ Most octopuses have an ink sac that can shoot out steams of dark ink like liquid when they are threatened. This serves 3 purposes.

  1. When threatened they swallow water and shoot it out, which propels them and shoots ink. This typically distracts the predator and makes the octopus jet away.
  2. The substance can interfere with the predators sense of sight or smell.
  3. The ink clouds the water, making it difficult for the predator to find the octopus.

♦ Their ink may be different colors; black, red or brown. octopus facts for kids animated gif

♦ The substance in the ink is melanin, the same dark pigment found in human skin and hair.

♦ An octopus has horizontal pupils. Even stranger, when they go upside down their eyes stay in the same position. So they never see anything upside down.

♦ An octopus has special cells called chromatophores which enable it to blend into it’s surroundings.

♦ An octopus has 3 hearts. Two are used to pump blood to each of it’s lungs and the last one pumps blood throughout it’s body.

♦ Octopuses are extremely flexible and can fit into very tiny places. They can squeeze their bodies through holes that are about the same size as their eyes.

Octopus Facts For Kids

Awesome Octopus And Under Sea Stuff!

Octopus Facts For Kids

Different Kinds Of Octopus Species

There are lot’s of known octopus species in our world. Today I wanted to talk to you about some of the most popular. Check out photos and descriptions of all the different types of octopuses below!

Blue Ringed Octopus Facts For Kids

The blue ringed octopus is one of the more beautifully marked species of octopuses. They are typically found around Australia. They have a very powerful muscular neurotoxin and are considered one of the most venomous marine animals. They are about 10-100g heavy and are typically the size of a golf ball.

blue ringed octopus facts for kids

California Two-Spot Octopus Facts For Kids

The California two spot octopus is found off the coast of California. They are also known as the “bimac” octopus.  This type of octopus is commonly kept as a pet, in a 50 gallon or larger tank. Their mantle size can be as big as 7 inches and arms can reach lengths of 23 inches. They get their name because of an eye blue like spot that appears below their eye.

california two spot octopus facts for kids

Caribbean Reef Octopus Facts For Kids

The Caribbean reef octopus or just reef octopus have distinctive blue-green colors with the occasional brown markings. They are found throughout the Bahamas, Caribbean, Western Atlantic and the costs of northern South America. They are not very big, their mantle is around 12 cm with arms getting as large as 60 cm.  They can weight up to 1.5 kg.

caribbean reef octopus facts for kids

Common Octopus Facts For Kids

I don’t want to spend too much time here, most of the facts listed above are from the common octopus.

Common Octopus facts for kids

East Pacific Red Octopus Facts For Kids

The East Pacific red octopus typically hangs out in shallow water. It is found on North American west coast from Alaska all the way south to the California Gulf. They typically grow as large as 8-10 cm for their mantle and 30-40 cm for their arms. An adult generally weigh around 100-150 grams. Although this is the common size, they have been discovered to be as large as 400 grams!

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Mimic Octopus Facts For Kids

The mimic octopus gets its name for its ability to impersonate other sea creatures. All octopuses have the ability to change their color to blend in with their surroundings, but the mimic octopus takes this a step further. They can adapt to the shape of the coral or other animals around them. They don’t only mimic their shape and size, but they also copy behavior. Many sea creatures are able to mimic other animals, but the mimic octopus is the only one that can pick and choose which animal they want to copy.

The mimic octopus is typically brown and white and can be as long as 60 cm in length.

The mimic octopus is so amazing, I had to share a video! Enjoy!

[iframe: src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/t-LTWFnGmeg” frameborder=”0″ width=”100%” height=”315″ scrolling=”no”]

If you would rather just see a photo of the mimic octopus, check out below!

mimic octopus facts for kids

North Pacific Giant Octopus Facts For Kids

These are the big boys of the octopus types. They have an average life span of 3-5 years. They can be as big as 9.75 to 16 feet long! northern pacific giant octopus facts for kidsThey can weight up to 110 pounds. They have giant bulbous heads and are typically a reddish brown color.  They grow larger and live longer than any other octopus type. The North pacific giant octopus is highly intelligent. They have the ability to solve problems and mimic other animals. They are truly amazing creatures. The largest recorded North pacific giant octopus was 30 feet across (9,1 meters) and weighed more than 600 pounds (272 kilograms).

northern pacific giant octopus facts for kids

Atlantic Pygmy Octopus Facts For Kids

The Atlantic Pygmy octopus is the smallest of all octopus. Fully grown they reach sizes of only 2-4 inches big. They often seek refuge from predators in clam shells, using their tiny arms to close the shell. The hatch-lings are tiny (0.04 g), but are fully formed and can begin to hunt within hours. At full size they typically only weigh 30 g.

atlantic pygmy octopus facts for kids

 

Octopus Facts For Kids

Interesting Facts About Octopus For Kids Conclusion

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed learning about some of the most amazing and intelligent creatures in the oceans. Sometimes it seems like the octopus is not of this world. They never fail to absolutely stun and amaze me! Don’t forget to check out some of our other awesome facts for kids, including 10 Creatures That You Won’t Believe Exist!

Octopus Facts For Kids

One Comment

  1. what is the largest sea animal.

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