Interesting information about sea octopuses. What are the types of octopuses. Nervous system and sense organs

How Octopuses Reproduce September 23rd, 2016

a photo

Scientists have long established that almost all cephalopods, except for nautilus (Nautilus) and argonaut octopuses (Argonauta) - the only modern genus living in the open seas, mate and breed once in a lifetime. After the onset of reproductive age, octopuses begin to look for a partner, and until that moment they prefer to live separately from their relatives.

So how do octopuses reproduce?

In adult males, “packages” with sperm develop in the mantle cavity by this time (in cephalopods they are called spermatophores), which, during the breeding season, are carried out through the funnel along with water jets. During mating, the male holds the female with his tentacle hand, and introduces the spermatophores into the female's mantle cavity with a special sexual tentacle.

Researchers have noticed very interesting facts about the reproduction of octopuses. Namely, during breeding, males of some species try to mate with any member of their genus, regardless of gender and age. Of course, the eggs in this case will not be fertilized, and the mating process itself is not as long as with a female of a suitable age. For example, in the blue-ringed octopus, mating continues until the female gets bored and she forces herself to tear off the overexcited male from herself.

Even more unusual is mating in argonaut octopuses.

They have well developed sexual dimorphism. Females are larger than males. They have a single-chamber shell, therefore they are sometimes confused with nautiluses, and the male does not have such a shell, but there is a sexual tentacle called a hectocotylus. It develops in a special pouch between the fourth and second arms of the left side. The female uses the shell as a brood chamber, where she lays her fertilized eggs.

Some describe it like this: Males of this species are not destined to experience satisfaction. All because nature endowed them with a very strange penis. After the octopus produces a sufficient amount of seminal fluid, the organ miraculously separates from the body and swims into the depths of the sea in search of a suitable female argonaut octopus. The ex-owner can only watch how his reproductive organ mates with the "beautiful mate". Nature did not stop there. And made this process closed. After a while, the penis grows back. Further it is not difficult to guess. And you say no long distance relationship :)"

But it's still a tentacle. In an adult male, the tentacle is separated from the body when meeting with the female, and this tentacle worm independently penetrates into her mantle cavity, where the spermatophores burst, and the liquid from them fertilizes the eggs.

Most species of octopus lay their eggs at night, at one time. For spawning, some females choose cavities or holes in rocks, gluing masonry to the ceiling or walls, while others prefer to carry a bunch of eggs glued together with them. But both constantly check and guard their eggs until the moment of offspring.

The duration of egg development during the reproduction of octopuses is different, on average up to 4-6 months, but sometimes it can reach a year, and in rare cases several years. All this time, the female octopus incubates eggs, does not hunt or eat. Studies have shown that before reproduction, octopuses undergo a restructuring of the body, shortly before spawning, they stop producing the enzymes necessary for digesting food. Shortly after the emergence of juveniles from eggs, the female dies, and newborn octopuses are able to take care of themselves.

Although periodically there are reports of the possibility of re-spawning in nature in some octopuses, this has not yet been documented. However, when keeping an octopus in home aquarium, the Panamanian zoologist A. Rodaniche managed to obtain twice offspring from females of the small Pacific octopus (Octopus chierchiae), on the basis of which he concluded that among the octopuses that are found off the coast of the Gulf of Panama, one or even three species are able to mate and breed repeatedly.

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How much do you know about octopuses? Apart from the fact that they have eight legs? For example, do you understand how many hearts an octopus has? Yes, the question is completely correct. After all, the octopus has not one heart, but several! Or what are these creatures capable of?

Let's figure it out. And not only in how many hearts an octopus has, but in general, what kind of animal is it, where you can meet it.

big clam

Octopus (photo below) refers to cephalopods. These creatures live in the sea the globe from the Arctic to the Antarctic. But still octopuses can not stand fresh water, give them a salinity of at least 30 percent.

Their sizes are also very different: from a few cm to 6-7 meters. But still, the “average height” for them is 1.5-2 meters. The largest octopuses live off the coast of Colombia: some weigh 15-20 kg, and the length of their tentacles varies from 2 to 2.5 meters, and sometimes more!

The largest octopus was found in Western Canada. This giant octopus weighed 242 kilograms, and the length of its tentacles reached 10 meters! A terrible sight, for sure. Now all the stories of sailors about krakens that can sink ships no longer seem like just stupid parables.

The external structure of the octopus

Octopuses have a soft, rounded body, dressed in a mantle (skin-muscle sac). The mantle is smooth, with pimples or wrinkled (depending on the type of octopus). Inside, under it, there are organs.

The mantle also serves as a reservoir of water. Because the octopus is sea ​​creature It cannot exist without water. In order to get out on land, he needs supplies of water. This reserve is enough for four hours. But there have been cases when octopuses remained on land for more than a day.

On the head of an octopus are placed big eyes, like almost all representatives deep sea creatures with square pupils.

The mouth of the octopus is small, with a pair of strong jaws. Outside, he somewhat resembles the beak of a parrot. That is why it is called so - "beak". In the mouth there is a tongue outgrowth ("odontophora"). On both sides of the body are gills, which are responsible for extracting oxygen from the water.

tentacle arms

Eight arms-tentacles extend from the head, surrounding the mouth. On the inside Each tentacle contains suction cups, with which the octopus is able to detain prey or stick to underwater objects. There can be up to 220 suction cups on one "arm"! A fascinating fact is that there are visual analyzers in the suction cups. So octopuses are truly unique: they are able to create with their limbs!

Octopus tentacles are more often the object of attack by opponents. Therefore, nature endowed octopuses with the ability to reject their limbs in order to escape. The enemy is left with only a trophy. This property in science is called autotomy. The muscles of the tentacle begin to contract so much that it causes a rupture. Almost a day later, the wound begins to heal, and the limb grows back again. You say like a lizard. But no. The lizard is able to lay back its tail only in certain place, no more, no less. And the octopus can tear off its “arm” wherever it wants.

Internal structure of an octopus

Octopuses have a large brain, which is protected by a cartilaginous capsule (skull). The brain consists of 64 fractions and even has the rudiments of the cortex. Biologists associate the mind of an octopus with intelligence domestic cat. Octopuses are capable of emotions and are very smart. They have a good memory and are even able to distinguish geometric shapes.

Like other creatures, octopuses have a liver, stomach, glands, and intestines. So, the food tract on the way to the stomach penetrates the liver and brain. The food tract is very narrow, therefore, before swallowing food, a pretty octopus crushes it with its “beak”. Then, already in the stomach, it digests food with the help of digestive juice, which is produced by the liver and pancreas. In the stomach, the octopus has a process - the caecum, which is responsible for the absorption of the necessary substances. The octopus liver is a large, brown, rounded organ. It performs several functions at once: it absorbs amino acids, produces enzymes, and stores nutrients.

In the occipital part of the skull are the organs of balance - statocysts. These are bubbles, inside of which there is liquid and calcareous pebbles (statoliths). When the body of an octopus changes position in space, the pebbles move and come into contact with the walls of bubbles covered with sensitive cells, which is very annoying for the octopus. Specifically, in this way, he can navigate in space even without light.

In a special process of the rectum, the octopus stores a supply of poisonous ink, which serves a good remedy protection. The skin (or rather, the mantle of the octopus) contains special cells: chromophores and iridiocysts, which are responsible for the ability to change colors. The 1st contain dark, reddish, brown, yellowish and orange pigments. The second allows octopuses to be painted in purple, greenish, blue or iron color scheme.

Octopuses have a highly developed circulatory system. The muscles and skin in almost all places have capillaries, which serve to pass the arteries to the veins.

How many hearts does an octopus have

So, we have come to this question of concern to many. It is already clear that these creatures have more than one heart. But then how much? Surely on this moment everyone will be amazed. After all, an octopus has 3 hearts. As many as three! Not one of the representatives of mammals, amphibians or birds has such a paradox. Yes, there are four-chambered hearts, like in mammals, three-chambered, like in amphibians, or generally single-chambered (fish) hearts. But one heart each!

Then why does an octopus have 3 hearts? Recall that the heart is a muscle that, contracting at a certain speed, pumps blood in a living organism. So, cephalopods, which include the octopus, have not very “successful” gills: they make a strong blood resistance. Therefore, one heart simply could not cope with it.

How do they work?

So, the octopus has three hearts. One is the main one, which drives blood throughout the body of the octopus. This heart consists of 2 atria and a small ventricle. And one more heart near each gill (there are two of them in an octopus). These hearts are much smaller. They help the main muscle push blood through the gills, from where it, already filled with oxygen, returns to the atrium. huge heart. That is why they are called "gills".

No matter how many hearts an octopus has, they all beat the same. The frequency of their contractions depends on the temperature of the water in which the creature is located. So than colder water the slower the heart beats. For example, at a temperature of 20-22 degrees, the muscles contract in some places 40-50 times per minute.

Incidentally, the heart of an octopus, more precisely the heart, is far from the only feature of the mollusk. Very peculiar and his blood. She, imagine blue color! The thing is that it contains the enzyme hemocyanin, which contains copper oxides.

There are many various kinds mollusks that inhabit the depths of the oceans of the planet, so interesting facts about octopuses will help to take a fresh look at the life of cephalopods.

1. These soft-bodied as many as three hearts, each of which performs its function! If the first drives blood through the body, then the other two push it through the gills. They all beat in the same rhythm, and the number of their contractions depends on the temperature of the water.
2. Blue octopus blood. This is due to the fact that hemoglobin is not produced in the body. Instead, there is an enzyme - hemocyanin, containing copper oxides. In cold waters blue blood provides mollusks with quick access of oxygen to tissues.

   

3. Octopuses have large eyes in relation to their body size.. This gives them the opportunity to see the danger in time and react to it. Soft-bodied have color vision, which they can focus, and distinguish the shape of objects.

   

4. Cephalopods can disguise themselves as environment . The central nervous system in their body sends impulses to the skin cells of the octopus. The latter begin to stretch and shrink. So the animal changes color. In its normal state, its color is brown.

   

5. The octopus often releases an ink cloud towards the enemy. Dark paint misleads attackers into appearing as another creature. At this time, the mollusk swims away. Such a technique is especially good when it is being pursued by a shark that relies on its sense of smell when hunting. The ink helps to disorient the predator.

   

6. In a pinch, the soft-bodied are willing to part with any of their tentacles in order to escape.. When an octopus is grabbed by a limb, it easily separates it from the body and leaves the attacker. Then the process of regeneration takes place, and the tentacle grows back.

   

7. Cephalopods have a soft and flexible body. The only hard part of the animal is its beak. The latter limits the penetration of octopuses into very narrow openings, as it simply does not fit there.

   

8. These soft-bodied have a powerful "jet engine". They first draw water into the mantle, then sharply contract their muscles and throw jets out through the formed funnel. Such "devices" are generally rare in animals.

   

9. Octopuses are clean mollusks. Their home is free miscellaneous waste. After eating, they dump the leftovers in piles in front of the house. Experienced divers know this and, if they want to see an animal, they look for places where marine debris, consisting of shells, accumulates.

   

10. Octopuses are very interesting way fertilization. Males immerse a special tentacle, the hectocotyl, into the mantle cavity of the female, with the help of which spermatophores are transferred. The process of reproduction in the life of octopuses occurs once.

    

11. Female cephalopods jealously guard their eggs.. For a month, they do not let anyone near the masonry. Constantly being close to future offspring, octopuses stop hunting and gradually weaken. After the birth of cubs, the female often dies.

    

12. Some of the octopuses move on solid ground. They push off the soil with their tentacles and, lifting their body, drag it in the right direction. However, soft-bodied people cannot “walk” on land for a long time, because then dehydration of the body will occur.

    

13. These molluscs have developed intellect . They can be trained, correctly determine the size of objects and remember the location of things. Octopuses get used to the people who feed them, so that later they recognize them, and become completely tame.

    

14. One of the most poisonous animals on earth blue-ringed octopus living off the coast of Australia and in Indian Ocean. They are often kept in home aquariums, which is dangerous. After all, one such mollusk is capable of poisoning 25 adults. Scientists have not yet come up with an antidote for it. in an efficient way salvation in this case is a long artificial ventilation of the lungs.

    

15. Octopuses are a kind of delicacy for the Japanese.. They eat them boiled and eat them alive. Usually soft-bodied people are cut into small pieces and, while they are still twitching in convulsions, they chew mollusks with appetite.

    

How much do you know about octopuses? Besides that they have eight legs? For example, do you know how many hearts an octopus has? Yes, the question is absolutely correct. After all, the octopus has not one heart, but several! Or what are these beings capable of?

Let's figure it out. And not only in how many hearts an octopus has, but in general, what kind of animal is this, where it can be found.

Huge clam

The octopus (pictured below) is a cephalopod. These creatures live in the seas of the entire globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. But still, octopuses do not tolerate fresh water, give them a salinity of at least 30 percent.

Their sizes are also very different: from a few centimeters to 6-7 meters. But still, the “average height” for them is 1.5-2 meters. The largest octopuses live off the coast of Colombia: some weigh 15-20 kg, and the length of their tentacles varies from 2 to 2.5 meters, and sometimes more!

The largest octopus was discovered in Western Canada. weighed 242 kilograms, and the length of its tentacles reached 10 meters! Probably a terrible sight. Now all the stories of sailors about krakens that can sink ships no longer seem like just stupid tales.

The external structure of the octopus

Octopuses have a soft oval body, dressed in a mantle (skin-muscle sac). The mantle is smooth, with pimples or wrinkled (depending on the type of octopus). Inside, under it, there are organs.

The mantle also serves as a reservoir of water. Since the octopus is a sea creature, it cannot exist without water. In order to get out on land, he needs liquid supplies. This reserve is enough for four hours. However, cases have been recorded when octopuses remained on land for more than a day.

On the head of the octopus are large eyes, like most representatives deep sea creatures with square pupils.

The mouth of the octopus is small, with a pair of strong jaws. Outwardly, it is somewhat reminiscent of a parrot's beak. Therefore, it is called so - "beak". In the mouth is a tongue outgrowth ("odontophora"). On both sides of the body are gills, which are responsible for extracting oxygen from the water.

tentacle arms

Eight arms-tentacles extend from the head, surrounding the mouth. On the inside of each tentacle there are suction cups, with the help of which the octopus is able to hold prey or stick to underwater objects. There can be up to 220 suction cups on one "arm"! Interesting fact is that there are suckers. So octopuses are truly unique: they are able to see with their limbs!

Octopus tentacles are the most commonly attacked by enemies. Therefore, nature endowed octopuses with the ability to tear off their limbs in order to escape. The enemy will only have a trophy. This property in science is called autotomy. The muscles of the tentacle begin to contract so strongly that it leads to a rupture. Literally a day later, the wound begins to heal, and the limb grows back. You say like a lizard. But no. The lizard is able to drop its tail only in a certain place, no more, no less. And the octopus can tear off its "arm" wherever it wants.

Internal structure of an octopus

Octopuses have a huge brain, which is protected by a cartilaginous capsule (skull). The brain consists of 64 lobes and even has the rudiments of the cortex. Biologists compare the intelligence of an octopus to that of a domestic cat. Octopuses are capable of emotions and are very smart. They have a good memory and are even able to distinguish between geometric shapes.

Like other creatures, octopuses have a liver, stomach, glands and intestinal tract. So, the esophagus on the way to the stomach penetrates the liver and brain. The esophagus is very thin, therefore, before swallowing food, a pretty octopus crushes it with its “beak”. Then, already in the stomach, it digests food with the help of digestive juice, which is produced by the liver and pancreas. In the stomach, the octopus has a process - cecum, which is responsible for the absorption of nutrients. The octopus liver is a large, brown, oval-shaped organ. It performs several functions at once: it absorbs amino acids, produces enzymes, and stores nutrients.

In the occipital part of the skull are the organs of balance - statocysts. These are bubbles, inside of which there is liquid and calcareous pebbles (statoliths). When the body of the octopus changes position in space, the pebbles move and come into contact with the walls of the bubbles covered with sensitive cells, which greatly irritates the octopus. It is in this way that he can navigate in space even without light.

In a special process of the rectum, the octopus stores a supply of poisonous ink, which serves as an excellent means of protection. The skin (or rather, the mantle of an octopus) contains specific cells: chromotophores and iridiocysts, which are responsible for the ability to change color. The former contain black, red, brown, yellow and orange pigments. The latter allow the octopuses to turn purple, green, blue or metallic.

Octopuses have highly developed muscles and skin in many places have capillaries that serve to pass the arteries to the veins.

How many hearts does an octopus have

So, we have come to this question of concern to many. It is already clear that these creatures have more than one heart. But then how much? Probably, now everyone will be surprised. After all, an octopus has 3 hearts. As many as three! None of the representatives of mammals, amphibians or birds has such a phenomenon. Yes, there are four-chambered hearts, like in mammals, three-chambered, like in amphibians, or generally single-chambered. But each has one heart!

Then why does an octopus have 3 hearts? Recall that the heart is a muscle that, contracting at a certain speed, pumps blood in a living organism. So, to which the octopus also belongs, they have not very “successful” gills: they create a strong one. Therefore, one heart simply could not cope with it.

How do they work?

So, in an octopus, One is the main thing, which drives blood throughout the body of an octopus. This heart consists of two atria and a small ventricle. And one more heart near each gill (there are two of them in an octopus). These hearts are smaller. They help the main muscle push blood through the gills, from where it, already filled with oxygen, returns to the atrium. big heart. That is why they are called "gills".

No matter how many hearts an octopus has, they all beat the same way. The frequency of their contractions depends on the temperature of the water in which the creature is located. So, the colder the water, the slower the hearts beat. For example, at a temperature of 20-22 degrees, the muscles contract about 40-50 times per minute.

By the way, the heart of an octopus, or rather the heart, is far from the only feature of the mollusk. His blood is also very peculiar. She's blue! The thing is that it contains the enzyme hemocyanin, which contains copper oxides.

Octopuses are amazing creatures, which are still a mystery to scientists. These creatures invariably attract the attention of ocean scientists with their amazing body structure and unusual mental abilities. It is believed that octopuses, along with cuttlefish and dolphins, are the most smart representatives marine fauna. However, these creatures are remarkable not only for mental abilities.

Scientists have long noticed that octopuses have eyes that are unique not only in structure, but also in size relative to body length and visual capabilities. big brain and huge eyes allow the octopus to receive much more information about the world around us than any other animal on the planet. The eyes of an octopus are still the subject of controversy in the scientific community, and far from all the details of the vision of the world by these animals are understood and studied by humans, but scientists already have some stunning data.

Unique features of the octopus eye

First of all, to say that the eyes of octopuses are very large and make up about 10% of total mass animal body. In terms of eye size relative to body weight, octopuses are the real world champions. For example, in an adult giant octopus eyeball is 35-40 cm.

The anatomical eye of an octopus is very similar to the structure of the human eye. The eyes of an octopus are made up of the retina, iris, lens, and cornea. The pupil is mobile and can expand and contract, but the octopus focuses the gaze not due to the curvature of the lens, but due to its approach and distance in relation to the retina.

It is believed that these mollusks are able to focus on objects of interest to them, which others are not capable of. Marine life. The sensitive retina and lens of the eye of an octopus perfectly distinguishes, and even in muddy water. Big size the eye of the octopus also helps him survive, because thanks to this structure of the organ of vision, this mollusk is able to see objects even in pitch darkness.

Unique structure the eye of an octopus allows it to perceive a three-dimensional picture, so these perfectly distinguish the shape of objects. Some lovers of these mollusks believe that the visual organs of the octopus allow him to see even in ultraviolet spectrum light, but these data have not yet found scientific confirmation.