Common octopus

The common octopus is a soft, clever animal that lives in the sea. It has no bones at all, so it can squeeze its whole body through a gap no bigger than its eye. Eight long arms trail behind it as it glides over the rocks, searching for crabs and shells to eat.

Common octopuses are flexible hunters. They leave a den around dusk to search for crabs and shellfish, then may leave opened shells in a pile outside the entrance. Most live alone and defend a small area rather than forming a group.

The cleverest trick of all is hiding. In less than a second, an octopus can change the colour of its skin — and even make it bumpy or smooth — to match the sand, the coral, or a rock. If a hungry fish comes too close, the octopus can puff out a cloud of dark ink and jet away.

A common octopus does not live very long, usually only a year or two. A mother octopus guards her eggs carefully and does not leave them, even to eat. When the tiny babies finally hatch and float away, her long job is done.

Octopuses are not fierce and they are not monsters. They are curious, gentle neighbours of the sea — and one of the most surprising animals you will ever meet.