The folks at the Seattle Aquarium learned a valuable lesson, when they made a pacific giant octopus share a tank with sharks. Hesitant of their decision at first and worried about the octopus’ safety in a tank filled with the apex predators, the staff figured that the 8 legged creature would fare fine in the tank because of its ability to camouflage and other self protection skills it possesses. What didn’t even occur to them was whether the spiny dogfish sharks in the tank would be okay in the presence of the clever creature, until… they started finding shark corpses on the bottom of the tank.
On putting up a camera in the tank to solve the mystery, they encountered some shocking footage….
North Pacific Giant Octopus are arguably the largest octopus species we know today. They average at around 15 kg (33 lb) in weight, with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft). However, there are records of individuals that reached 30 feet (9.1 meters) across and weighed more than 600 pounds (272 kg). These highly intelligent creatures are also masters of disguise and posses very advanced pigment cells in their skin, giving them the ability to change colors and textures, and to blend in with even the most intricately patterned corals, plants, and rocks.
*Photo credits: photo by laszlo-photo on flickr
