Interesting Facts about the Ocean-dwelling Creature Commonly Known as the Octopus (29 pics)

The octopus is the smartest of all of the invertebrates on Earth, which make up 95% of ALL of the animals. It has around 300 million neurons throughout its body.

They spend most of their lives swimming alone, even when it comes time to mate.

They want to be alone so badly that the male octopus will steer clear from a female mate. Instead of getting near her, he will send a package of his sperm to her from a distance, which she will store for later.

To make up for the lack of connection, sometimes the male will sever one of his eight arms and send it along with the package.

Lucky for those that partake in the severing tradition, octopuses can regrow lost limbs. They can even close off the severed artery to reduce blood loss.

Since their blood is so high in copper, it is blue, not red.

Another time they sever their arm is when they’re trying to distract a predator long enough to jet away at top speeds, which can get up to 25 mph.

An octopus’s brain resides in its egg-shaped head, but each arm also has enough neurons to operate semi-independently.

That means each sucker on the arm can extend, release and pinch when it damn well pleases. That also means that the severed arms that they’re so fond of can function for a short time after being detached from the body.

Octopus is actually highly nutritious: A 3-ounce serving has 139 calories, 2 grams of fat, 25 grams of protein, 45% of your daily iron value, and 510% of your daily B12 value. Basically, it kicks chicken’s ass.

Octopuses have 3 hearts. The main heart actually stops beating when the animal is swimming, so it tires out quickly.

Although they don’t like to be in contact with each other, they’re still no strangers to romance. In a 1970s experiment, a male octopus’s main heart actually skipped a few beats when a potential female mate was introduced into its tank.

Because swimming is so tiring, an octopus’s favorite way to maneuver about is “walking” along the seafloor. They use their back 4 arms for walking and the front 4 to find food.

However, walking is slow and predators are fast. To solve this problem, some octopuses carry protection. Here you see an octopus carrying two coconut halves so it can hide inside if need be.

Still, their most impressive survival tactic is their skin. They can change the color and texture of their skin to blend in with their surroundings.