![red octopus red octopus](https://live.staticflickr.com/5615/15124022454_0321cb812d_b.jpg)
They have what is called “cirri” which is also where the entire suborder’s name comes from.Ĭirri are filaments or small strands. The first significant difference between these octopuses and those in the suborder above is their different types of suckers. They often have a different appearance than the way that you would typically imagine an octopus. The Cirrina octopus includes the more unique octopuses.
![red octopus red octopus](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/89/a2/5a/89a25a6838f3a59f0c919f56798b4a69.jpg)
These include the suborders Cirrina and Incirrina. Two primary subdivisions within this order separate the 300+ types of Octopus. Once you get to this level of their classification, any animal within the order Octopoda is considered an octopus officially. The primary order of the octopus classification system is Octopoda, meaning “eight feet.” This classification was given to them in 1818, and since then, we have learned that these appendages are not feet or legs but actually function as arms. Typically, when they describe their mating or survival characteristics, they will refer to them as “cephalopods.” They do share this tier with cuttlefish and squid. This term is the broadest that scientists typically use to describe octopuses on the whole. Next up, the class of the octopus, which is Cephalopoda. Next time you see a land snail, you will now know their cousins are swimming in the murky depths of the sea. Yes, that is right, they do fall under the same phylum as mollusks like clams and mussels. The octopus species fits into the Kingdom Animalia starting from the broadest category. Learning about octopuses not only gives you a chance to understand more about the animals that swim in the depths but also gives you the capacity to realize just how wondrous these creatures are.Īll You Should Know About Octopuses ⬇ General Categories for the Octopus Instead, it is easiest to get a basic idea of how scientists currently group them since not all octopuses look the way we imagine. To be knowledgeable about the anatomy, classification, and species within the octopus family, you don’t have to have a degree in marine biology. There are currently more than 300 species of octopus recorded, and more get discovered every decade. They are one of the most intelligent sea creatures, filled with personality and interesting ways to survive in the dangerous depths of the ocean.Įven the most interested octopus researcher won’t be familiar with all of the octopus species living in our oceans. They each function and develop so differently, especially when comparing them to land animals. Sea creatures are some of the most wondrous animals on the planet. Octopuses might be colloquial, but it’s wrong. House cats and octopuses have about the same level of intelligence. The oldest octopus fossil is from 296 million years ago.
![red octopus red octopus](https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3584/3371364765_2eedfe552f_b.jpg)
Octopus babies are called larvae and start life as a plankton cloud. They have a lot of heart Three to be exact Flapjack Octopus (Opisthoteuthidae californiana) Star-sucker Pygmy Octopus (Octopus wolfi) East Pacific Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) Lillliput Longarm Octopus (Macrotritopus defilippi) Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus briareus) California Two-Spot (Octopus bimaculoides) Southern Keeled Octopus (Octopus berrima) Common Blanket Octopus (Tremoctopus violaceus) Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa) Greater Blue-Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) Capricorn Octopus (Callistoctopus alphaeus) 22 Different Types of The Most Incredible Octopus Species.Incirrina Sub-Order (Shallow-water octopuses).This is the last photo we took of him before he plunged into a surge channel and out of sight. He also seemed to change texture to more closely blend with his surroundings.Īt this point, he lunged out of the water and "slip-slided" across the kelp-covered rocks. In just a few seconds, we watched him begin to change color. He poked his head out of the water and looked around for a means of escape.
![red octopus red octopus](https://66.media.tumblr.com/d50cdedf49363342177087765237b014/tumblr_pm3vxrNL4y1sd8lx7_540.jpg)
He was caught in a small tide-pool, and seemed desperate to flee our prying eyes. When he sensed we were near, he retracted his tentacles and his body became more bulb shaped. At first we saw only a couple of tentacles creep out from under a rock. The Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) can be found on the Southern Oregon Coast, but only at an extremely low-tide, in large tide pools or surf grass, and you have to be really lucky! We have yet to spot our first octopus on the Oregon coast, but we are always on the look-out.īack in April 2004 at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve south of San Francisco, we had the tide-pool experience of a lifetime when we saw an octopus put on what looked like choreographed performance.