11 Octopuses Caught in the Act of Being Awesome

Check out these videos and photos of octopuses winning at life.

1. Octopus Pulls Off Slick Boat Escape.

For a boneless contortionist, the possibilities are endless. Our eight-armed friends can squeeze through some ludicrously tiny holes, as this big Alaskan fellow did after being pulled onto a boat in 2011.

2. Octopus Hates Paparazzi, Steals Camera.

Filmmaker and scuba diver Victor Huang wound up getting some far better footage than he bargained for when a Pacific Giant Octopus latched onto and swam away with his (still-recording) video camera.

3. Octopus Owns the Art of Camouflage.

Talk about a magic act! In less than three seconds, this common octopus completely revamps the pattern, texture, brightness, and color of its skin. Your move, Penn and Teller…

4. Octopus Masters Legos.

You don’t even need opposable thumbs to enjoy building blocks. The Ocean Explorium in Bedford, Massachusetts lets visitors assemble Lego toys for one of their captive octopuses to play with.

5. Crustacean-Touting Octopus Boldly Crawls Out Onto Dry Land.

“This dude came out … to gift us a crab,” writes the video’s uploader. “What a friendly dude!”

6. Octopus Devours Seagull.

While sightseeing with her family on the British Columbian coastline, Ginger Morneau spotted an octopus drowning a hapless seagull. After subduing its winged prey, the muscular invertebrate “wrapped it up and sank to the bottom of the ocean.” According to Morneau, who took four snapshots of this carnage, “The entire process, from start to finish, [lasted] 53 seconds.” 

7. Octopus Plays With Rubber Ducky.

Here’s an adorable clip for those who’d like a G-rated version of the last entry on our list.

8. Octopus Squirts Grabby Guy.

Firing jets of water like a super-soaker is a talent many cephalopods share… including Otto, a mischievous octopus which formerly resided at the Sea Star Aquarium in Coburg, Germany. One night, he made international headlines after deliberately shorting out a light above his tank by crawling up to the rim and dousing it.

9. Octopus Makes Off with Biologist’s Bait.

In order to steal a canister of food that had been left to attract passing marine life, this mid-sized octopus had to unravel three cable ties … and hold back a pesky shark.

10. Octopus Opens Bottles.

Apparently, the specimen shown above has also propped open the lid of her own enclosure, though she’s never tried running away afterwards.

11. Octopus Paints.

You’ve seen chimps painting. You’ve seen elephants painting. It’s high time for an invertebrate artist video, courtesy of the Port Defiance Zoo & Aquarium of Tacoma, Washington.