Octopus on the Move: Adventures Beyond the Ocean
In Octopus on the Move: Adventures Beyond the Ocean, ecologist David Scheel takes us inside the amazing world of octopuses, revealing how these clever creatures leave the water to hunt for food in new places! While they do have gills, octopuses use their skin to breathe while they explore land, but they can’t stay out too long. David also shares wild tales of octopuses escaping tanks and disappearing down drains! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.
Lesson Express
Q: Why might octopuses choose to leave their rock pools, and what advantages could this provide them?
A: Octopuses leave their rock pools to hunt for new food sources in different pools. By exploring new areas, they increase their chances of finding fresh food, making their hunting strategy more effective and dynamic.
Q: What does the behavior of octopuses escaping from tanks or slipping down drains suggest about their problem-solving abilities?
A: The ability of octopuses to escape tanks and navigate through drains highlights their problem-solving skills and intelligence. It shows that they can think critically to find new paths or escape routes when faced with obstacles, demonstrating complex cognitive abilities.
Q: How might the ability to breathe through their skin affect an octopus’s survival strategy compared with other marine animals?
A: Breathing through their skin allows octopuses to spend short periods on land, which can be an advantage in finding new food sources or escaping danger. This ability sets them apart from other marine animals that rely solely on gills and must stay in water at all times.
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In Octopus IQ: The Jar Challenge, ecologist David Scheel introduces Heidi the octopus to a clever challenge — a jar with a crab inside and a screw top lid. As Heidi figures out how to unscrew the lid, Scheel explains the remarkable way octopus intelligence works: their smarts aren’t just in their head but also in their eight arms, which can act independently of each other. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.
In Hiding in Plain Sight: The Octopus That Invented a Mobile Home, a veined octopus in Indonesia amazes researchers with its clever survival skills. Living on sandy ocean flats, it carries coconut shells to create a portable shelter. By using these shells to hide and ambush prey, the octopus becomes one of the rare animals — less than 1% — to demonstrate tool use and thinking ahead. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.
In Born Ready: The Secret Lives of Newborn Octopuses, Squid, and Cuttlefish, ecologist David Scheel joins fellow researcher Brett to explore the fascinating world of newborn octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish. These creatures are born with the ability to change color while still in their sac, preparing them for life underwater. As soon as they hatch, they are independent hunters, capable of targeting prey even larger than themselves. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: The Octopus in My House, a remarkable series about a professor and the extraordinary relationship he develops with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home.