Thanks to SLEDDOG-SIS for turning me on to a terrific read: The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery.
Montgomery's firsthand exploration into the enigmatic lives of these invertebrate mollusk aliens is an adventure into the wondrous lives of these critters, their intelligence, strength, playfulness, Houdini-like escape capabilities, and even personalities.
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Imagine just one of a Pacific octopuses' 3 inch diameter suckers can lift 30 pounds, and there are 1,600 of them, enough to lift a Moore-24 with suckers to spare.
Octopus are one of the most ancient life forms on planet Earth, at 300 million years, older than dinosaurs.
Octopuses have 3 hearts, and their 8 tentacles are semi-autonomous and can be detached and proceed on their own way, while the octopus regenerates a complete new arm. Without a bone structure, an octopus with a melon sized head and 14 foot arm span can ooze through a 1" diameter pipe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=949eYdEz3Es
A most wonderful octopus escape mechanism, besides their ability to "ink", is the capability to instantly change texture and color patterns so as to confuse potential attackers.
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I've only once seen an octopus in the wild. While living aboard WILDFLOWER at Santa Cruz Harbor I noticed a great blue heron stealth fishing from the nearby rocks. The heron, a regular I called "George," ducked his head underwater and came up with a small sized octopus with a head about the size of a golf ball.
For 30 minutes an amusing, life or death struggle ensued. The octopus was determined not to be dinner, and wrapped itself around George's head. George on the other hand, with a foolish look, couldn't get the young octopus off its head and into his bill.
The nearby drama ended in a draw when the great blue heron ducked its head back underwater and the octopus made good its escape.
Octopus. The perfect foredeck crew for singlehanding.
I recommend The Soul of an Octopus to anyone interested in these amazing animals.