Interesting Types of Octopus

The Giant Octopus

• You may think of an octopus as a slow moving and harmless sea creature, but that's far from the truth when it comes to the giant octopus. When fully extended, the giant octopus can have a tentacle span of 30 feet. It is strong enough to crush crustaceous animals for food -- fast enough to catch sharks as its prey. The giant octopus doesn't always need to be fast to catch its prey, though. Its skin cells can alter its skin color, allowing it to hide and bide its time, until its meal swims by.

Blue-Ringed Octopus

• The blue-ringed octopus seems small and timid at first, considering its small size -- it has an 8-inch tentacle span at the largest -- and evasive nature. In most cases, the octopus will flatten itself and try to hide from predators. When a conflict is unavoidable though, its usually yellow and brown skin displays bright blue rings. This dazzling light display isn't to amuse you. The glowing rings show that this octopus is ready to bite. He packs enough poison to paralyze and kill a fully-grown person with a single bite.

Mimic Octopus

• For humans, it is important to stand out and be an individual. The opposite is usually true in the animal kingdom -- and the mimic octopus knows it. The mimic octopus observes and replicates the behavior of some well-disguised and venomous marine animals. It will slink across the sea floor like a venomous snake one moment -- and then switch its behavior to replicate a poisonous fish. By doing this, it tricks predators into thinking it's not on the menu.

Dumbo Octopus

• Marine scientists don't know much about the dumbo octopus, but it is still an interesting specimen in the octopod species. It gets its name for its large protruding ears that resemble the Disney character Dumbo. The octopus moves around by flapping its ears and wiggling its short tentacles. It lives on the ocean floor, hovering above the sand in search for prey. It can live in depths exceeding 22,000 feet, much deeper than any human can travel without the use of a strong marine vehicle to withstand the pressure.