Octopus

Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Terrestrial / Life / Animal / Invertebrate / Octopus
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octopus : genus (Octopus) of cephalopod mollusks that have eight muscular arms equipped with two rows of suckers; broadly : any octopod excepting the paper nautilus — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook

Thesaurus

Roget’s II (Thesaurus.com), Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Visuwords

Encyclopedia

Octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-armed mollusc of the order Octopoda. Around 300 species are recognized and the order is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, the octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beak, with its mouth at the centre point of the arms (which are sometimes mistakenly called “tentacles”). The soft body can rapidly alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight arms behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and for locomotion, by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviorally diverse of all invertebrates. — Wikipedia

Octopus (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Octopods (One Zoom)
Octopus (Catalogue of Life)
Octopus (WolframAlpha)

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Adventures

Explore related posts on Cosma …

Great Eyes o’ the Sea - The news is full of stories about how a giant squid was filmed in U.S. waters for the first time. Here’s a link to an article by ABC7 that includes a great clip about it. Wondrous 10-foot Giant Squid Spotted Deep in Gulf of Mexico (Danny Clemens, ABC7 New Orleans) Here is a link to … Continue reading Great Eyes o’ the Sea
Nutty Nature News - I’ve been updating the “nature” related pages on this site, so I’ve spent an abnormal amount of time perusing nature related sites for the last few weeks. Along the way I came across more than my fair share of odd nature stories. Many of them were viral, so you may have seen some of them … Continue reading Nutty Nature News
Octopuses from Space! - Did you hear the one about the octopuses from space? It sounds like the title of a cheesy sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? But it isn’t, this time, or at least, yet. Instead, it’s actually an oddball theory that’s been put forth in a recently published “scientific” article that’s getting quite a lot of buzz in … Continue reading Octopuses from Space!

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Inspiration

Deep Sea Creatures (Leo Richards, Natural World Facts, YouTube Playlist)
Deep Sea Hub (Leo Richards, Natural World Facts, Official Website)

Talks about Octopus (TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)
Articles about Octopus (Big Think)

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Innovation

Science

Teuthology is the study of cephalopods such as octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. It is a branch of malacology, the study of molluscs, in marine zoology. — Wikipedia

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Preservation

Library

DDC: 594.56 Octopus (Library Thing)
Subject: Octopus (Library Thing)

Subject: Octopus (Open Library)

LCC: QL 430.3 Octopus (UPenn Online Books)
Subject: Octopus (UPenn Online Books)

LCC: QL 430.3 Octopus (Library of Congress)
Subject: Octopus (Library of Congress)

Subject: Octopus (WorldCat)

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Participation

Education

Octopus and Squid (Biology4Kids)

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources

Community

More News …

Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.

3D genome 'entanglement' may explain how...
on October 9, 2026 at 9:00 am
Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish, collectively known as coleoid cephalopods, have evolved exceptionally large and elaborately structured nervous systems capable of complex behaviors such as problem-solving and rapid camouflage. A new study by scientists at the University of Vienna suggests that the origins of this complexity may lie not just in the genes themselves, but in how the genome is organized in 3D.
Newly discovered hair cells on squid may offer...
on October 3, 2026 at 3:00 pm
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Queasy plesiosaurs swam to shore to vomit,...
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vents may be a hot spot for...
on September 17, 2026 at 4:20 pm
Antarctic krill are tiny shrimp-like creatures that were previously thought to mostly inhabit the upper layer of the Southern Ocean. Although they had occasionally been observed at deeper levels, they were never seen near deep-sea hydrothermal vents until 2024, when a group of oceanographers observed them there for the first time. The team's new study, published in Communications Biology, describes the discovery and why the team thinks pregnant krill may actually be spending a lot of time near […]
Cuttlefish suckers reveal how they grip rough...
on September 17, 2026 at 11:40 am
Cephalopods are a group of soft-bodied marine mollusks that include cuttlefish, octopuses, squid and nautiluses. Many of these mollusks have muscular suckers on their arms that allow them to seize prey or grip other surfaces in their surroundings.