Organism Physiology: The Octopus
Bio/101

The cephalopodor octopus is a marine organism that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean. Its food source consists of crabs, small fish, clams, mussels and other marine animals. The octopus is a predatory animal and has developed many skills to aid in its survival in the environment it has adapted to.

The octopus has several main organs that are vital to its survival; the brain for its intelligence; the ink sack for its defense; and the arms for capturing its prey. This paper will discuss these different organs and how they have evolved physiologically to its environment. Unlike its other cousins in the Mollusca family, octopuses have a considerably large brain in
Octopus facts for kid’s states, “Octopuses are stealthy hunters changing their color to match the surroundings as they hide. The octopus waits for the prey to arrive within reach, then grabs it and secretes a nerve poison, stunning the prey.” In times of distress, the octopus can detach a limb and the crawling arm serves as a distraction to the predator, allowing the octopus to escape. The octopus will sometimes eat its own arm and the arm will re-grow later with no permanent damage. A neurological disorder causes this (Octopus, 2008).
The octopus will also detach a limb during reproduction. The male uses a special arm, usually the third right arm, called a hectocotylus, to insert sperm into the female’s cavity. The third right arm detaches during sexual intercourse and the male dies within a few months after mating.
The excellent sense of touch in the octopus is due to the chemoreceptors in the suckers of the arms. These chemoreceptors help the octopus taste what it is touching, and sense when the arms are out but cannot determine the position of its body or arms. The arms of the octopus are physically suited to the environment it inhabits to allow movement, reproduction, feeding, and defense.
The octopus is known to be an intelligent creature and over time they have developed defense mechanisms to avoid its predators. The primary defense of the cephalopod is to hide or swim away. But when the octopus is scared it has the ability to release ink in a squirting