Northern Australia has the highest tides in the tropics, which expose vast areas of shoreline.
And here is a truly extraordinary species of octopus.
Octopuses are marine animals that live and breathe underwater. At low tide,
most of the pieces will be imprisoned in their rocky pools.
But this is no ordinary octopus.
It's the only one specially adapted to walk on land.
It pulls itself along using the hundreds of tiny suckers
that line its arms.
Hunting for crabs. It walks from pool to pool,
apart from a rather startled fish. This one is empty.
So the octopus moves on.
A rock pool may seem like a safe refuge, but the octopus is suckers,
enabling it to move just as stealthily in water as out of it.
Nowhere is safe when this octopus is around.
The idea of an octopus venturing onto land is certainly intriguing! While octopuses are primarily marine creatures, there have been documented cases of them briefly leaving the water for various reasons, such as hunting, escaping predators, or even exploring new environments.
One example is the veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), also known as the coconut octopus, which has been observed carrying coconut shells and other objects as makeshift shelters. These octopuses have been seen walking along the seafloor while carrying their shelters, and in some cases, they've been observed briefly emerging onto land while still holding onto their protective shells.
Another fascinating example is the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), which has been known to crawl short distances across land between tide pools or to capture prey. While they can survive out of water for short periods, their skin needs to remain moist to allow for respiration, so they typically return to the ocean relatively quickly.
These behaviors demonstrate the remarkable adaptability and intelligence of octopuses, as they are capable of utilizing creative solutions to navigate and thrive in diverse environments. While they are not terrestrial animals by nature, these occasional forays onto land showcase their ability to exploit new opportunities and environments when necessary.
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