In this article, I will take you through 55 Important Questions on Octopus you should definitely know about. Octopus is a very famous round body sea animal found in the oceans and seas in all over the world. It can be found in the various regions of oceans,  including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed. Some live even in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature early, and are short-lived. We will see some of the most important questions related to this wonderful creature in below section.

55 Important Questions on Octopus You Should Know About

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1. What is an Octopus ?

Ans. Octopus is one of the 300 known soft-bodied species of Cephalopods belonging to the order Octopoda. It closely resembles to squids, cuttlefish, and nautilus.

2. How long do octopus live ?

Ans. A Giant Pacific Octopus can live up to 3 to 5 years.

3. How many brains does an octopus have ?

Ans. Octopuses have nine brains.

4. What do octopus eat ?

Ans. Octopuses prey includes gastropods, like snails and sea slugs; bivalves, like clams and mussels; crustaceans, like lobsters and crabs; and fish.

5. How many tentacles does an octopus have ?

Ans. Octopuses have eight tentacles dividing up into six “arms” and two “legs”.

6. Is an octopus a fish ?

Ans. No, Octopuses are cephalopods mollusc.

7. How many legs does an octopus have ?

Ans. Octopuses have two legs.

8. What color is an octopus ?

Ans. An octopus can have different colors depending on its situation. For example - to blend according to its surroundings, it can change its skin color to gray, brown, pink, blue, or green. Octopuses may also change color as a way to communicate with other octopuses.

9. How many arms does an octopus have ?

Ans. Octopuses have six arms.

10. Where do octopus live ?

Ans. Octopuses are found in every ocean of the world and along every coast of the United States. Octopuses live in coastal marine waters and spend much of their time in dens - small holes and crevices in rocks and coral. They are generally solitary and territorial. More on NWF.

11. How many hearts does an octopus have ?

Ans. Octopuses have three hearts.

12. Do octopus die after giving birth ?

Ans. Octopuses are semelparous animals, which means they reproduce once and die. After a female octopus lays a clutch of eggs which also marks the end of her life, she then quits eating and wastes away. By the time the eggs hatch, she dies.

13. Do octopus have teeth ?

Ans. No, Octopus don't have teeth.

14. Do octopus lay eggs ?

Ans. Yes, Female Octopuses lays eggs.

15. Do octopuses have beaks ?

Ans. Yes, they have hard beaks made of chitin. The same substance that makes up the exoskeletons of arthropods such as insects, spiders and crustaceans.

16. How big can an octopus get ?

Ans. A Giant Octopus can grow as large as 30 feet across.

17. How massive an Octopus can get ?

Ans. A Giant Octopus can weighed more than 600 pounds.

18. Why do octopus have three hearts ?

Ans. All octopuses have three hearts with different roles they play - One heart circulates blood around the body, while the other two pump it past the gills, to pick up oxygen.

19. Do octopus have gills ?

Ans. Yes, just like fishes Octopuses also have gills for breathing.

20. What is the shorter tentacle on an octopus ?

Ans. The hectocotylus is the shorter tentacle than the rest on an Octopus. It is a modified arm that holds rows of sperm.

21. Do octopuses sleep ?

Ans. Yes, just like humans Octopuses also goes on Active sleep but it is for very short duration. It is like REM sleep in humans.

22. How old is the oldest octopus ?

Ans. According to a study published in Nature Communications on Mar 10, 2022, 330 million-year-old creature found fossilized in limestone may be the oldest known relative of octopuses.

23. How smart is an octopus ?

Ans. In many research, Octopuses have been found to solve complex tasks, perform camouflage, fade in the background, color shade to mimic the surroundings, outsmarting its predators and hunt its prey. All of these suggests that an octopus is a pretty smart animal.

24. How many eyes does an octopus have ?

Ans. An octopus has two eyes that are structurally similar to human eyes.

25. What color is an octopus blood ?

Ans. Octopuses have blue blood.

26. How many stomachs does an octopus have ?

Ans. Like we humans, octopuses only have one stomach.

27. Do all octopus have 9 brains ?

Ans. Yes, all octopuses do have 9 brains, that is the very reason it is counted as one of the intelligent creatures.

28. Is an octopus an arthropod ?

Ans. No, they are cephalopod.

29. How many species of octopuses are currently known to Scientists ?

Ans. As of now, there are about 300 species of octopuses currently know to scientists.

30. Why is Squidward an octopus ?

Ans. The team chose to make Squidward an octopus because he liked the look of the sea creature's head.

31. Do octopus eat their own legs ?

Ans. In a study it is found that some Octopuses eat their arms and legs when they bored. This is known as autophagy or self-eating.

32. Is an octopus a squid ?

Ans. No but both are part of the same group cephalopoda.

33. What is octopus ink made of ?

Ans. The “ink” is actually a combination of melanin and mucus. This combination is stored in a series of sacs, and released from the same siphons through which octopuses expel waste.

34. How does an octopus eat ?

Ans. All species of octopus have venom of varying levels of toxicity, which they inject using a beak that is similar to a bird's. They typically hunt at night, pouncing on their prey and wrapping it in the webbing between their arms.

35. How do octopus poop ?

Ans. The giant Pacific octopus excretes waste through its siphon, a funnel-like hole on the side of its mantle. As a result, its poop comes out as a long, noodle-like strand.

36. Does octopus have 8 hearts ?

Ans. No, they have 3 hearts.

37. Is an octopus smarter than a dolphin ?

Ans. In many instances, it is found that Octopuses manipulate objects better than dolphins do. Thanks to their nine brains and eight tentacles.

38. What is a group of octopus called ?

Ans. According to some reference, a group of octopuses is called a consortium.

39. What does an octopus symbolize ?

Ans. The octopus symbol represents our ability to overcome challenging situations with creativity and intelligence.

40. How long can octopus live out of water ?

Ans. Octopuses can survive for around 20-30 minutes outside the water.

41. Can octopus change color ?

Ans. Yes, they can easily blend according to its surroundings by changing its color.

42. Do octopuses have dreams ?

Ans. According to some study, Octopuses do have dreams but very tiny one as they do not have long active sleep like humans.

43. Do dreams change octopus color ?

Ans. According to a latest study, octopus dramatically change their skin color for 40 seconds during active sleep.

44. Can octopuses feel pain ?

Ans. According to a report published in Science Journal, Octopuses do feel pain. But they don't just react reflexively, like a child pulling away their hand from a hot stove. That type of reaction is known as nociception.

45. How many eggs does an octopus lay ?

Ans. A female octopus can lays 20,000 to 80,000 eggs in long, braided strands that look like white, tear-shaped grape clusters.

46. Are octopus male or female ?

Ans. Both male and female Octopuses are there but the females are usually larger than males.

47. How do octopus breathe ?

Ans. Just like fish, Octopuses uses gills to breathe. The gills allow an octopus to breathe in oxygen and then exhale through a tube called a siphon.

48. What happens if an octopus grabs you ?

Ans. Once an octopus grabs you, it will move you towards its mouth (called a “beak”) by transferring you to the next sucker up the arm like it usually do to hunt its prey.

49. Do sharks eat octopus ?

Ans. In many studies, it is found that Shark do eat Octopus. One example of a shark that enjoys eating Octopuses is blue shark (Prionace glauca).

50. Which is the largest octopus species ?

Ans. The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus species.

51. Do octopuses have bones ?

Ans. They actually don't have any bones, but instead have a hydrostatic skeleton which allows them to keep body parts rigid.

52. Where are blue ringed octopus found ?

Ans. The blue-ringed octopuses range from the Sea of Japan down to the waters of southern Australia across from the Philippines to Vanuatu. They inhabit depths from intertidal flats down to 50m.

53. Do female octopus eat the males ?

Ans. Yes, female octopuses often kill and eat their mates during mating by strangling him with three arms. If not, they die a few months later, too.

54. Do octopuses have arms or tentacles ?

Ans. They have eight tentacles divided into 6 arms and 2 legs.

55. How long is an octopus tentacle ?

Ans. An octopus tentacle can span up to 16 feet (4.9 meters).