Nine brains, three hearts, and other weird facts about octopuses

Octopuses – those cephalopods that are intelligent along with weird – seem to embody everything that is scary and mysterious about the sea, and the idea of their soft spongy bodies lurking in the dark regions of the oceans inspired the imagination of numerous monsters ranging from Kraken to Lusca in the Caribbean. The most visible feature of the octopus is the presence of the eight arms, but beneath its mottled skin is actually a set of brains, one for each of the tentacles. And do you know exactly how many octopus hearts there are? The answer is quite surprising as it is three. Each of these three hearts has its own important function, so they are not just spare parts to each other. All these facts are only the apparent tip of the iceberg, that is, of this creature, which is considered one of the most distinctive creatures found under the sea.

The octopus has three hearts.

The octopus has not one, but three. Two of them – the two gill hearts – pump blood to the gills where oxygen is captured. The third heart, or systemic heart, pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body, providing the nutrition needed for the eight probes for whatever they and their pipettes plan to do. As cephalopods, octopuses are very active, and the three hearts are thought to be essential for conserving their energy. But the octopus doesn't use its systemic heart when swimming, and it can get tired quite easily. Instead, it generates water jets with its body shell to provide the force for propulsion. The octopus' blood is blue because it contains hemocyanins, which are the basis of its construction and which carries oxygen. But hemocyanin does not carry as much oxygen as human hemoglobin, which iron is the basis of its construction, and according to the New Scientist article, this may be the reason why octopuses need more than one heart. Unfortunately, hemocyanins do not hold oxygen well in acidic conditions. Since climate change is gradually reducing the pomp of the world's oceans, the environment of these oceans may become unsuitable for the octopus anatomical structure in the future.

The octopus has nine brains.

Another reason for the existence of this wonderful set of hearts is due to another strange feature of the octopus's anatomical structure: it has a small brain in each of the eight tentacles, which helps each arm act independently with fast and accurate reflexes. The ninth brain oversees the entire nervous system and can also skip the fairly small brain to operate any of the sensors. The octopus' brain-to-body ratio is the largest of all types of invertebrates, and it has about the same number of neurons as a dog. Octopuses are known to be highly intelligent, they are able to learn to solve puzzles during laboratory simulations, and they are also able to recognize people. Having such a powerful and extensive nervous system requires a lot of energy, hence the need for the three hearts to pump blood throughout the octopus's body.

Octopus arms have their own minds.

Two-thirds of the octopus' neurons are located in its arms, not in its head. As a result, arms can solve the problem of how to open a conch while its owners are busy doing something else, such as searching around a cave for more edible goodies. Arms can react even after they are completely cut. In one experiment, severed arms twitched in pain when researchers pinched them.

The sensors, each covered by a set of powerful lollipops, are used for movement and food gathering. Although octopuses can swim, their preferred movement is crawling along the seabed. Octopuses can also use their tentacles to control objects, open jars, and carry food. The octopus' anatomical structure inspired the development of robots; using biomimes, researchers at Harvard University developed a soft probe robot that can accurately grasp irregularly shaped objects. There have even been attempts to develop climbing robots based on their ability to grasp surfaces such as stairs and rough walls.

Octopuses have blue blood

Octopuses have blue blood. This is not due to proprietary genes, but is caused by copper. Unlike many other marine invertebrates, octopuses have a high metabolic rate and therefore need oxygen significantly. Hemocyanin, of which copper is the basis of its construction, is more efficient at transporting oxygen at low temperatures and low oxygen concentrations than hemoglobin, which is iron, the basis of which is the basis of its construction and which makes our blood red.

Smart octopuses

Among cephalopods, octopuses – and among all invertebrates – are characterized by their large brains. Octopuses can navigate mazes, solve problems, remember, predict, use tools, and disassemble almost anything from crabs to locks, all with sophisticated hunting behaviors. Aquarium Shedd owners provide stimulating activities to the giant Pacific octopus resident there (and enable it to participate in care work dedicated to its safety) through regular training sessions that apply the same positive reinforcement techniques used with marine mammals. They also enrich the octopus' life, and this includes providing it with a variety of favorite toys and gifts, the latter sometimes presented in the form of "puzzles of prey" found in tear-shaped jars.

How long does an octopus last?

With this uniqueness in the anatomical structure of the octopus, you might expect these cephalopods to live forever. No I'm sorry. The typical lifespan of most octopus species is about one to two years in wildlife conditions, according to National Geographic. The Conservation Council of Canada notes that the largest species, the Pacific Northern Giant Octopus, is also the longest-lived. The octopus is about five meters long and weighs between 20 and 50 kilograms (about 16.5 feet to 44 to 110 pounds), and dies around the age of about five years, usually after mating or after laying and caring for eggs. Scientific American magazine published an article about the loss of the National Zoo resident Pandora, which had enjoyed visitors in its pond for 27 months, a record for an octopus.