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New York Aquarium News
Playtime for Squirt
Giant Pacific octopus “Squirt” is a crafty, eight-armed hunter who is equally fond of playthings as prey. During playtime with his keepers at the Aquarium, he forages for capelin (a small fish) from a tube concealed inside a specially designed log. To procure his snack from the tube, he uses trial and error. “Octopuses are pretty smart,” says keeper Nicole Ethier. “They have problem-solving skills and a learning curve.”
Octopuses are relatives of squid and part of the cephalopod class of animals. Cephalopods have the largest brains of any invertebrate, and octopuses and squid in particular are two of the quickest learners, and best at retaining information. Since octopuses rely on taste and texture to find food, they also have highly developed lobes for storing chemical and tactile information.
Octopuses are also intelligent enough to make mischief—so enrichment activities like Squid’s foraging task encourage natural behavior and help him to stay challenged and spry. (And just like a child, a busy octopus is generally a well-behaved one.) When a giant Pacific octopus is active, as during play sessions, its skin color brightens to a deep red. During resting periods, this master of camouflage is generally paler in color, blending into the rocks and corals of its surroundings.
Giant Pacific octopuses are one of the largest octopus species. They can grow to between 80 and 100 pounds in their short lifetimes, which are just three to five years. Despite their size, however, octopuses are known to be escape artists that can squeeze through small openings. Only the beak, or mouth, is hard—for the sake of prying tasty mollusks and crustaceans from their shells—while the rest of the body is incredibly flexible.
The name “cephalopod” means “head-foot,” and refers to the attachment of the tentacles to the head. The tentacles on a giant Pacific octopus have tremendous strength and gripping power, aided by rows of suction cups that help to grab prey.
You can watch Squirt exercise his eight arms—and his problem-solving skills—during feedings at the Aquarium, which occur three or four times each week.
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