World Octopus Day: new discoveries about the world’s smartest invertebrates
Happy World Octopus Day! Every Oct 8, the world celebrates one of the more unusual creatures of the sea. Octopuses are well-known for their eight legs and ability to squirt ink when frightened. They’ve also been known to use tools, a sign of intelligence, and can shape-shift to mimic the colors and texture of their […]
Happy World Octopus Day! This special day is celebrated annually on October 8 to honor one of the sea's most unique creatures. Octopuses are well-known for their eight legs and defense mechanism of squirting ink when frightened. They have also been observed using tools, a sign of intelligence, and can change their color and texture to blend in with their environment, an effective way to evade predators and prey.
In recent years, there have been several discoveries related to octopuses. One such discovery is an ancient octopus species that was found to be an apex predator. The fossilized jawbone of this now-extinct species, Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, was described by Japanese researchers in April 2026. Based on the size of the jawbone, scientists estimate that this octopus could have reached a length of 6.6 to 18.6 meters (22 to 61 feet), making it one of the largest invertebrates ever known.
Comparatively, this length is around two-thirds the size of an adult blue whale, the largest animal to ever exist.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
