As the name suggests, World Octopus Day celebrates one of the most distinctive creatures living on the planet today; the incredible octopus.

Octopuses, or the octopi, are one of earth’s great survivors. Indeed, despite their relatively short lifespan, octopus fossils date back almost 300 million years, meaning that they pre-date even dinosaurs.









The octopus is considered to be one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean. They are inventive, curious, have the ability to learn quickly and are able to solve complex problems.

They are also well known for spraying ink to defend themselves from predators, and for building pretty octopuses' gardens in front of their hideouts on the reef.

Some species, like the mimic octopus, can even imitate other marine animals like lionfish, flounder, sea snakes and crabs to confuse predators and make it easier to sneak up on their prey.







Two of the octopuses hearts pump blood to their gills, while the third circulates blood to the rest of their bodies. Their nervous systems consists of a central brain and a smaller brainlike nerve cluster for each of the eight arms.

Having no bones in their bodies (apart from a parrot-like beak) they are able to squeeze in and out of even the smallest openings. That's why you might even find an octopus inside an empty bottle!

Scientists even believe the octopus is capable of abstract thought, and have shown that they most likely dream when asleep. They are also known to play, which is another sign of intelligence.







So how should you celebrate World Octopus Day? Dive and look for one! You can also read more about octopus on Wikipedia and at www.peta.org.