Tag archives for Octopuses
Posted by Spain may have won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but the world is still talking about Paul.
Paul is a two-year old octopus living at Sea Life in Oberhausen, Germany and he was able to pick the winner for all of Germany’s matches, as well as the winner of the final between Spain and the Netherlands. Paul’s keepers put food into two clear boxes, each labeled with a competing country’s flag. Whichever box Paul opened first was predicted to win–and Paul was always right!
In honor of his achievement, Paul got his own tiny copy of the trophy as well. He is being retired from making predictions, but he can be visited at his home at Sea Life.
Read more about Paul on the Washington Post website.
How much do you know about the history of the World Cup? Quiz Your Noodle and find out.
Watch a video of an octopus squirting a curious bird on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Roberto Pfeil, AP Photo/dapd
In March, you helped the National Zoo pick a name for their new giant Pacific octopus. The choices were Olympus, Octavius, Ceph, and Vancouver. And the winner is… Octavius! More than half of the people who voted chose this name. If you live near Washington D.C., you can visit Octavius at the National Zoo’s Inbertebrate Exhibit.
Read more about the ocean animals at the National Zoo on the Smithsonian Institution’s website.
Check out the News Bite on octopus “mobile homes.”
Photograph by Mehgan Murphy
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. wants you to help name the new giant Pacific octopus. Zoo officials aren’t quite sure whether their octopus is a boy or a girl and won’t know until the octopus is bit more mature. Here are the four names from which to choose: Olympus, Octavius, Ceph, and Vancouver. Polls will remain open until noon Eastern time on April 7.
Learn about the names and vote!
Learn more about octopuses on National Geographic Kids.
Scientists have observed chimps using tools to get food, but scientists were surprised to see octopuses using tools–and not for food-gathering, either! As seen in the video above, octopuses near Indonesia were seen using the coconut shells as mobile shelters. Sometimes they would even fit two halves of a coconut together to make a hiding place. Even though the octopuses moved more slowly carrying coconut shells, they always have a place to hide from predators if they bring them along.
The sight of the octopuses moving across the ocean floor carrying the coconut shells wasn’t just surprising. It was also very funny! “It was hard not to laugh underwater and flood your [scuba] mask,” said biologist Mark Norman.
Read more about the coconut-carrying octopus on National Geographic News.
Learn more about octopuses on National Geographic Kids.
Findings published by the journal Current Biology
Video courtesy Museum Victoria
