July 12, 2010
Fact of the Day: Common Octopus
BY: MollyH
As you probably already know, Paul the Oracle Octopus maintained his perfect record this weekend, predicting World Cup victories for both Germany and Spain in their respective matches. So, in honor of Paul’s fine work, today’s Fact of the Day (or FOD) is about his species, the common octopus.
The common octopus is one of the smartest invertebrates in the world, with both a short and long-term memory. When in a bind to escape a predator, this octopus can lose an arm and re-grow it later without any long-term damage. (But I’d bet it’s not very comfortable and is something the octopus would rather forget!)
For more octo-information (or information on your favorite fishy friends), check out Oceana.org/explore and check back tomorrow for another FOTD!