Chris Higgins
8 Amazing Octopus Videos
by Chris Higgins - January 21, 2010 - 12:52 PM

Hiding Under Coconut Shells

Scientists caught these octopuses near Indonesia using coconut shells similar to how herbit crabs use shells — as a place to hide.

Octopus Opening Jar to Get Food

It’s well-documented that octopuses can learn how to open jars to get to food inside. Here’s just one of many such videos on YouTube:

Here’s another octopus opening a plastic container:

Octopus Escaping Through a One-Inch Hole

It must be convenient being an invertebrate. This guy must do this all the time at parties.

Shark Versus Octopus

If you can get past the annoying narration, this is pretty impressive. Given the topic of this post, I wonder who will win?

Octopus Bipedally “Walking”

Creepy, but it makes sense — octopuses have two “legs” and the other tentacles are considered “arms.” Perhaps soon they’ll begin using the internet.

The Indonesian Mimic Octopus

By changing its color, mode of movement, and arrangement of tentacles, this octopus impersonates a variety of undersea creates. I wonder if it does a good Jay Leno?

This video first shows a coconut octopus “sheltering” inside a broken glass, and then some new footage of a mimic octopus doing its thing.

Further Reading

Check out the amazingly bad Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus trailer, 8 Octopus Facts (one for each arm), The Odd, Odd Octopus, and an explanation of why “octopuses” or “octopodes” is considered correct — not “octopi.”

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Comments (4)
  1. I volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium where the octopus ate the shark and thats still talked about even by the staff. The octopus they have now just ate a wolf eel that was in the same tank as she.

  2. Nice video’s…

  3. I’m going to have nightmares. These things creep me out!!

  4. And this is why the octopus is my favorite animal! They’re absolutely brilliant. Couldn’t find any videos of them recognizing colors and shapes to get food? Like parrots or dogs, they can associate abstracts (such as alphabet letters or drawings) with realia (such as food). Very, very smart animals.

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