5/2/2023 0 Comments Biggest octopus![]() ![]() Randy Williams, along with six other members of the Marker Buoys Dive Club, reported spotting nine octopuses - not "octopi," Anderson says - during a dive in Hood Canal, at Sund Rock just north of Hoodsport. Checking the same nesting sites every year can indicate how the octopuses are faring, he said, and may build the foundation for doing a more accurate scientific sampling in the future. It is not meant to provide an accurate count of the population, Anderson noted, so much as an impression. The survey, which last year involved about 200 divers and tallied about 70 octopuses, continues through today with results expected later this week. ![]() The effort, conducted for the past four years on this three-day holiday weekend, depends on the voluntary participation of divers who help the scientists keep tabs on the local octopus population. "They all have different personalities," Anderson noted with a shrug.Īfter the release of Starbuck, the Seattle Aquarium biologist went back inside to check on the latest tally from his annual octopus survey. It appeared that the sheepish Starbuck decided to stick close to shore to avoid an awkward reunion. Hell hath no fury like a cephalopod scorned. The day before, a female octopus given the alluring name of Magic - whom Starbuck had frustrated by refusing her amorous suggestions - split the scene like greased lightning when Anderson released her. "He just hunkered down and decided to stick around," said Jeff Christiansen, chief diver for the Aquarium and Starbuck's tour guide upon reintroduction into Puget Sound yesterday. The 2 1/2-year-old giant Pacific octopus - named for the character in "Moby-Dick," not the coffee - eventually settled into quarters well below deck, in the jumble of rocks and pilings beneath the Elliott Bay pier that supports the Seattle Aquarium. He turned bright red in annoyance as Roland Anderson tried to coax him off the dock for his return trip to sea. Starbuck was reluctant to ship out yesterday. ![]() Īn octopus, which is in the cephalopod branch of mollusks, can change its skin color like a chameleon to hide or, according to some scientists, to reflect its "mood.".Octopus, like squid, can squirt ink when startled or upset. The animal can travel by crawling or by "jet propulsion" - forcing water rapidly out of the headlike mantle through a tube known as the siphon. Octopus blood is pale blue and pumped by three hearts. It has a "beak" at its mouth, which allows it to bite prey. It has a fairly large brain - half of which is in its arms, with the other half encircling its throat. Īn octopus has eight arms with about 1,500 suckers in total.Octopuses typically live from three to five years and die after breeding once. The biggest known giant Pacific octopus was 600 pounds and had an arm span of about 30 feet. Puget Sound is home to the world's largest octopus, the giant Pacific octopus, which is also the world's largest invertebrate, meaning it has no bones. Fish Tips Article #12 Puget Sound is home to the world's largest octopus. ![]()
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