If the blood (called haemolymph in invertebrates) becomes deoxygenated - when the animal dies, for example - it loses its blue colour and turns clear instead.Īn octopus's three hearts have slightly different roles. The copper-based protein is more efficient at transporting oxygen molecules in cold and low-oxygen conditions, so is ideal for life in the ocean. ![]() Well, the blue blood is because the protein, haemocyanin, which carries oxygen around the octopus's body, contains copper rather than iron like we have in our own haemoglobin. Finally, why do octopuses have blue blood?Īre you still wondering why octopus blood is blue and what the three hearts do? The researchers say they're not sure what the benefits of living in a densely populated settlement are for these octopuses, but it may just be a case of necessity, with limited den spaces available in the otherwise flat and featureless area. Frequent aggression, chases and even den evictions were observed among the octopuses living at Octlantis. To date, they are listed as "least concern" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, although their current population is "unknown.City living has its advantages and drawbacks, as we all know. There are so far no major threats to blanket octopuses. Not only can they recall, learn and mimic the behavior of other octopuses, they have also displayed different temperaments and preferences. They even use the tentacles ripped off from jellyfish as a weapon against predators as well as to hunt for prey.Īccording to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, blanket octopuses are quite intelligent just like their other relatives. This means that the species has among the largest gender size discrepancy in the animal kingdom.Īlthough the reason for the massive size discrepancy isn't exactly unclear, it is believed that it's because the males spend their energy on looking for females instead of growing, National Geographic noted.Īnother thing that makes blanket octopuses so interesting is the fact that they are actually immune to the sting of the Portuguese man-o-war, which is said to be "highly dangerous" to humans. In fact, the females can grow up to six feet long while the males are just about the size of a walnut and also don't have the females' signature colorful cape. "The first live male was only sighted in 2002!" Shackleton said in her post. ![]() This is because blanket octopuses are among the "undersea world's oddest couples," with the females being significantly larger than the males, National Geographic noted. However, as rare as the sighting of a female blanket octopus in the wild is, sightings of its male counterpart may even be rarer. In the video, one can see the " rarely seen" female's signature "fleshy cape" where the species gets its name from. Indeed, this was a special sighting of the female blanket octopus as only a few people have seen them, noted. In an Instagram post, Shackleton shared a stunning video of the sighting and noted that these creatures are "rarely encountered" since they often spend their lives in the open ocean. The sighting was so exciting that she had quite a difficult time capturing the encounter, the outlet noted. Marine biologist, videographer and photographer Jacinta Shackleton was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef near Lady Elliot Island when she spotted the female blanket octopus, reported. Sightings of these creatures are quite rare, and sightings of males are even rarer. Male and female blanket octopuses are said to be among the "undersea world's oddest couples"Ī marine biologist had a rather special encounter with a female blanket octopus in the Great Barrier Reef. ![]()
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