Curious About Octopuses

PODCAST 223: CURIOUS ABOUT OCTOPUSES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THERE ARE LOTS OF ANIMALS OUT THERE, AND WE’VE COVERED A BUNCH OF THEM ON THE PODCAST.  IF YOU HAD TO GUESS HOW MANY DIFFERENT ANIMAL SPECIES LIVE IN THE WORLD’S OCEANS, WHAT WOULD YOU GUESS?  WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT 230,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED?  BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.  WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT BIOLOGISTS ESTIMATE THAT THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE OVER ONE MILLION DIFFERENT ANIMAL SPECIES IN OUR OCEANS, MEANING THAT MOST OF THEM HAVEN’T BEEN DISCOVERED YET.  AREN’T THOSE NUMBERS INSANE?  THEY THINK THAT SO MANY MARINE ANIMALS HAVEN’T BEEN DISCOVERED YET BECAUSE ONLY 5% OF THE OCEANS HAVE BEEN EXPLORED.  OCEANS COVER THREE-QUARTERS OF EARTH, AND THEY ARE ALSO VERY DEEP… SO DEEP THAT HUMANS HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO EXPLORE ABOUT 95% OF THE OCEANS.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT AN OCEAN ANIMAL THAT IS VERY UNIQUE AND MYSTERIOUS, AND THEY ARE UNLIKE ANY ANIMAL WE’VE COVERED SO FAR.     

O:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  QUADRUPLE-MAILBAG!

“HI THERE OLIVIA AND JACOB, 

MY NAME IS FINLEY AND I AM TURNING 6 IN JULY.  I AM FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.  WE LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL, OR ACTUALLY ANYTIME WE ARE IN THE CAR.  I WOULD BE SO EXCITED TO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED:  WHAT ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS SEA CREATURES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS HERE IN AUSTRALIA?  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE.  KEEP UP THE GREAT INVESTIGATING.”

THANKS, FINLEY AND MUM CAMILLE”

“HI.  I AM CAL FROM OKLAHOMA CITY.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT OCTOPUSES.  WHY DO OCTOPUSES HAVE SUCKERS AND DO THEY POOP?  I HAVE LISTENED TO EVERY EPISODE.  LOVE YOUR PODCAST.”

“HEY JACOB AND OLIVIA,

MY SON RYAN, AGE 5, IS SO CURIOUS ABOUT OCTOPUSES!  HE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT’S INSIDE THEIR TENTACLES, WHAT THEY DO AFTER THEIR TUMMYS ARE FULL, IF YOU CAN HAVE AN OCTOPUS FOR A PET, HOW THEY EAT FOOD WITHOUT EATING THEIR TENTACLES, AND HOW BIG THEIR EYES ARE.  WE LOVE THE PODCAST AND LISTEN TO IT ON OUR DRIVE FROM OUR APARTMENT TO A HOUSE WE’RE BUILDING OVER AN HOUR AWAY.  IT REALLY HELPS RYAN KEEP HIS MIND OFF THE LONG DRIVE.  

THANKS AGAIN AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU, JAKE AND RYAN FROM LOGAN, UTAH”

“HI CURIOUS KID PODCAST,

MY NAME IS BEAU AND I AM 5 YEARS OLD.  I AM FROM ROTURUA, NEW ZEALAND AND I LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  I AM LEARNING A LOT FROM IT!  MY FAMILY ENJOYS LISTENING TO IT IN THE CAR AND AT HOME.  IT IS SO COOL.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT OCTOPUSES AND I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE DONE A PODCAST ON THEM!  I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ONE.  MY LITTLE SISTER, ISLA, WHO IS 3, IS CURIOUS ABOUT UNICORNS AND KIWIS.  

FROM BEAU”

O:  WOWIE.  THOSE WERE FOUR AMAZING MESSAGES WE RECEIVED BY EMAIL, ON FACEBOOK, AND AS PART OF A FIVE STAR REVIEW.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT OCTOPUSES FOR FINLEY, CAL, RYAN, BEAU AND ISLA.

D:  BEFORE WE GET INTO THE HEART OF THE EPISODE, THERE IS ONE THING WE SHOULD POINT OUT FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY HAVE CRINGED WHEN WE NAMED THE TOPIC OF THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  YES, OCTOPUSES IS THE PROPER PLURAL FOR THE WORD OCTOPUS.  OCTOPI IS ANOTHER ACCEPTED PLURAL FOR THE WORD OCTOPUS.    

D:  THERE HAS BEEN LOTS OF DEBATE ON WHAT THE PLURAL FOR THE WORD OCTOPUS SHOULD BE.  THERE IS EVEN AN ARTICLE BY MERRIAM-WEBSTER, A COMPANY THAT MAKES DICTIONARIES, THAT WEIGHS IN ON WHAT THE PLURAL FOR OCTOPUS IS.  

O:  THE OLDEST PLURAL OF OCTOPUS IS ACTUALLY OCTOPI, WHICH IS THE PROPER WAY TO PLURALIZE THE WORD IF YOU ASSUME THAT THE WORD HAS A LATIN ORIGIN.

D:  ANOTHER PLURAL VERSION THAT I HADN’T HEARD BEFORE IS OCTOPODES, WHICH WOULD BE THE PROPER WAY TO PLURALIZE THE WORD IF YOU CONSIDER THAT IT MAY HAVE ORIGINALLY COME FROM GREEK.

O:  BEING THAT THE WORD HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO ENGLISH, MOST SOURCES WE FOUND SHOWED OCTOPUSES AS THE CORRECT PLURAL VERSION OF OCTOPUS.  

D:  NOW THAT WE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY, LET’S GET TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS A GROUP OF OCTOPUSES CALLED?  

D:  YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD OF A SWARM OF BEES (NOT SO ADORABLE), OR A LITTER OF PUPPIES (SUPER CUTE), BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT A GROUP OF OCTOPUSES IS CALLED?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING, LET’S LEARN ALL ABOUT THESE INCREDIBLE SEA CREATURES.

O:  THE WORD OCTOPUS COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD OKTOPUS, WHICH HAS A LETTER K INSTEAD OF THE LETTER C, AND IT TRANSLATES AS “EIGHT FOOT”.  THE PRE-FIX OCTO MEANS EIGHT, JUST LIKE AN OCTAGON IS A SHAPE WITH EIGHT SIDES.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH THE WORD OCTOPUS TRANSLATES AS “EIGHT FOOT”, WE DON’T CALL THEIR APPENDAGES FEET, OR EVEN TENTACLES.  THEY ARE ACTUALLY ARMS.  

O:  MOST OCTOPUSES HAVE SUCTION CUPS ON THE BOTTOM OF THEIR ARMS.  THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT SENSE OF TOUCH.  THEY ARE EVEN ABLE TO TASTE WHAT THEY TOUCH.  I’M GLAD I CAN’T TASTE WHAT I TOUCH, BECAUSE THEN I’D BE TASTING MY SNEAKERS WHEN I PUT THEM ON IN THE MORNING.  

D:  THE REASON THAT OCTOPUSES HAVE SUCH A GREAT SENSE OF TOUCH IS THAT TWO-THIRDS OF THEIR NEURONS ARE LOCATED IN THEIR ARMS.  NEURONS ARE NERVE CELLS THAT HELP OCTOPUSES, AND OTHER LIVING CREATURES FEEL THINGS.

O:  BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MANY NEURONS IN THEIR ARMS, OCTOPUS ARMS ARE ABLE TO ACT WITHOUT HELP FROM THEIR BRAIN.  

D:  OCTOPUSES USUALLY HAVE TWO ROWS OF SUCKERS RUNNING DOWN EACH ARM.  THE NUMBER OF SUCKERS AN OCTOPUS HAS VARIES FROM SPECIES TO SPECIES.

O:  THE GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS HAS ABOUT 280 SUCKERS PER ARM… THAT’S 2,240 SUCKERS TOTAL!  AND OCTOPUS SUCKERS ARE ALSO VERY STRONG.  THE LARGEST SUCKERS OF THE GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS, LOCATED CLOSEST TO IT’S MOUTH, CAN HOLD UP TO 35 POUNDS.  THAT’S INCREDIBLE!

D:  IT SURE IS.  OCTOPUSES DON’T HAVE A SKELETON OR AN EXTERNAL SHELL FOR PROTECTION.  

O:  THIS MEANS THAT THEIR BODIES ARE SOFT AND SQUISHY.  THAT COMES IN HANDY WHEN AN OCTOPUS NEEDS TO SQUEEZE INTO SMALL SPACES.  

D:  THE ONLY HARD PART OF THEIR BODIES IS A BEAK, SIMILAR TO THE BEAK OF A PARROT, THAT CAN BE FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF AN OCTOPUS, WHERE THE ARMS COME TOGETHER.  

O:  OCTOPUS EYES ARE BIG, AND THEY ARE LOCATED ON TOP OF THEIR HEADS.  THEY HAVE GREAT VISION.  IN FACT, THEY HAVE BETTER VISION THAN HUMANS.  OCTOPUSES HAVE STRONG JAWS, AND THEIR SALIVA IS EVEN VENOMOUS.  

D:  OCTOPUSES COME IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT SIZES.  THE COMMON OCTOPUS CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO THREE FEET LONG AND WEIGH UP TO 22 POUNDS.

O:  THE GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS IS THE BIGGEST OCTOPUS AROUND.  THEY CAN GROW TO 16 FEET LONG AND WEIGH OVER 100 POUNDS.  THERE WAS ONE GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS DISCOVERED THAT WAS 30 FEET LONG AND OVER 600 POUNDS.  THAT IS ONE SCARY BIG OCTOPUS.

D:  OCTOPUSES ALSO HAVE NOT ONE, NOT EVEN TWO, BUT THREE HEARTS.  ONE OF THE HEARTS PUMPS BLOOD THROUGH THE ORGANS, WHILE THE OTHER TWO PUMP BLOOD THROUGH THE GILLS.  

O:  THE HEART THAT DELIVERS BLOOD TO THE ORGANS STOPS BEATING WHILE AN OCTOPUS SWIMS.  AS A RESULT, AN OCTOPUS PROBABLY GETS EXHAUSTED QUICKLY WHILE SWIMMING, WHICH IS WHY THEY MIGHT PREFER TO CRAWL INSTEAD.

D:  OCTOPUS BLOOD IS BLUE.  HUMAN BLOOD, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS RED.  IT MIGHT LOOK BLUE, IF YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH THE SKIN IN AN AREA LIKE AROUND YOUR WRISTS, BUT HUMAN BLOOD IS RED.  THE REASON OCTOPUS BLOOD IS BLUE IS BECAUSE OCTOPUS BLOOD CONTAINS A COPPER-BASED PROTEIN CALLED HEMOCYANIN THAT CAUSES THE BLOOD TO BE BLUE.  

O:  OCTOPUSES LIVE IN THE OCEAN, BUT SOME PREFER TO LIVE NEAR THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, WHILE OTHERS PREFER TO LIVE ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, SOMETIMES LIVING IN CAVES.  

D:  OCTOPUSES PREFER TO BE ALONE AND AVOID LARGE GROUPS.  IF THEY ARE SCARED BY AN APPROACHING ANIMAL, THEY MIGHT SHOOT A DARK LIQUID AT THE ANIMAL THEY ARE SCARED OF.  THE LIQUID, SOMETIMES CALLED INK, HELPS CONFUSE THE OTHER ANIMAL AND MIGHT EVEN IMPACT THE OTHER ANIMAL’S SENSES OF SIGHT, SMELL, AND TASTE, ALLOWING THE OCTOPUS TO FLEE.  

O:  OCTOPUSES ARE EVEN ABLE TO CHANGE COLORS, INCLUDING BLUE, BROWN, GREEN, AND PINK, TO BLEND INTO THEIR SURROUNDINGS. 

D:  EVEN IF AN OCTOPUS GETS CAUGHT BY A PREDATOR AND LOSES AN ARM, OR A FEW ARMS, THEY ARE ABLE TO REGROW THEIR ARMS.  THAT’S A NEAT AND HANDY TRICK.

O:  OCTOPUSES SWIM IN A VERY UNIQUE WAY, VERY DIFFERENT THAN HUMANS.  THEY SUCK WATER INTO THEIR BODIES AND THEN SHOOT IT OUT.  THIS GIVES THEM SPEED BURSTS AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE WATER.  

D:  OCTOPUSES ARE CARNIVORES, SO THEY EAT MEAT.  THEIR FAVORITE MEALS INCLUDE FISH, LOBSTERS, AND SHRIMP.  

O:  THEY EAT BY DROPPING ONTO THEIR PREY FROM ABOVE, TRAPPING THEIR MEAL WITH THEIR ARMS, AND PULLING THE MEAL INTO THEIR MOUTHS.

D:  OCTOPUSES DON’T LIVE FOR A LONG TIME.  IT TURNS OUT THAT LARGER OCTOPUSES USUALLY LIVE LONGER THAN SMALLER ONES.  THE NORTH PACIFIC GIANT OCTOPUS, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN LIVE UP TO FIVE YEARS, BUT SOME OCTOPUSES ONLY LIVE FOR A FEW MONTHS.  

O:  OCTOPUSES ARE VERY SMART ANIMALS, AND SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE ABOUT AS SMART AS HOUSE CATS.

D:  THEY ARE EVEN SMART ENOUGH TO USE TOOLS, WHICH IS A TRICK MOST ANIMALS CAN’T DO.

O:  THEY ARE EVEN ABLE TO OPEN JARS, MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH OBSTACLE COURSES, SOLVE PUZZLES, AND OF COURSE THEY ARE ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM CAPTIVITY TOO.

D:  THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.  AN OCTOPUS FOSSIL HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THAT IS 296 MILLION YEARS OLD.  THAT’S BEFORE THE DINOSAURS WERE AROUND. 

O:  FINLEY WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS, WHICH HAS THAT NAME BECAUSE THERE ARE BLUE RINGS ON IT’S BODY.  EVEN THOUGH THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS IS SMALL, ONLY FIVE TO EIGHT INCHES, THE VENOM FROM ONE OF THESE OCTOPUSES IS FATAL.  THE BITE ITSELF IS PAINLESS, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT THE VENOM ISN’T INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS IF MEDICAL ATTENTION ISN’T RECEIVED RIGHT AWAY.        

D:  CAL WANTED TO KNOW IF OCTOPUSES POOP.  OCTOPUSES, LIKE ALL ANIMALS, NEED TO GET RID OF WASTE SOMEHOW.  OCTOPUSES HAVE A FUNNEL, CALLED A SIPHON THAT THEY POOP THROUGH.  BECAUSE IT GOES THROUGH A FUNNEL, OCTOPUS POOP IS LONG, THIN, AND STRINGY.  IT’S WHITE AND DOESN’T HAVE AN ODOR. 

O:  WELL, THAT’S A BIT MORE ABOUT OCTOPUS POOP THAN CAL PROBABLY WANTED TO KNOW.  JAKE AND RYAN WANTED TO KNOW IF PEOPLE CAN HAVE AN OCTOPUS AS A PET.  IN MANY PLACES, THE ANSWER IS YES, ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT BE A GREAT IDEA.  OCTOPUSES ARE SMART, AND THEY TEND TO GET BORED VERY EASILY IN CAPTIVITY.  THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN GET SAD AND MAKE THEMSELVES SICK AND STRESSED.  ALSO, IF THEY AREN’T HAPPY THEY MIGHT TRY TO ESCAPE, AND THEY ARE VERY GOOD AT ESCAPING BECAUSE OF THEIR VERY SOFT AND SQUISHY BODIES.  EVEN IF YOU WERE ABLE TO HAVE AN OCTOPUS AS A PET, FEEDING IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE, BECAUSE THEY LIKE EATING LIVE CRUSTACEANS, FISH, AND MOLLUSKS.  SO, LONG STORY SHORT, MOST PEOPLE COULD HAVE A PET OCTOPUS, ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT NOT BE A GREAT IDEA.  

D:  OKAY OLIVIA, WE’VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT FASCINATING OCTOPUSES ALREADY, BUT WE STILL NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT A GROUP OF OCTOPUSES WOULD BE CALLED.

O:  A GROUP OF OCTOPUSES IS CALLED A CONSORTIUM, OR THEY COULD ALSO BE REFERRED TO AS A TANGLE.  

D:  A CONSORTIUM OF OCTOPUSES IS SOMETHING THAT ISN’T COMMONLY SAID, BECAUSE OCTOPUSES PREFER TO BE ALONE, SO YOU WON’T FREQUENTLY SEE THEM IN LARGE GROUPS.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  223 - OCTOPUSES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO FINLEY, CAL, RYAN, BEAU AND ISLA FOR THE EIGHT ARMED EPISODE THAT WE ABSOLUTELY NEEDED TO RELEASE ON THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE WANT TO THANK A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTER, SCOTT M.

D:  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, SCOTT.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK USERNAME LCOOK18 FOR THE FIVE STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “FAVORITE PODCAST!  LOVE YOUR PODCAST!  IT’S SWEET.  MY NAME IS NOLAN.  I’M 6 YEARS OLD.  MY FAVORITE EPISODE IS THE ONE ABOUT SHARKS.  I LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EVERY NIGHT BEFORE BED.”  THANKS NOLAN.  THE REVIEW MEANS SO MUCH TO US.  WE HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT MEMORY FOR LISTENERS IN FLORIDA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.