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Sticky Business: How Octopus Tentacles Work

Sticky Business: How Octopus Tentacles Work

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on July 16, 2016

Are you a sucker for suckers? We’re talking about the kind attached to octopus tentacles, of course. These powerful rings help the octopus grip, travel, and hunt. Many a diver has felt the sticky grip of a curious or aggressive cephalopod, and its strength often comes as a surprise. Let’s take a look at how octopus tentacles work in this post.

how octopus tentacles work

We’ll start by saying that referring to octopus appendages as tentacles is actually a misnomer. Octopus arms are just that: arms. They are not true tentacles. Squid and cuttlefish have tentacles, distinguished by having suckers only at the ends rather than running the length of the organ.

Much more than a simple suction cup, these grippers are quite complicated, biologically speaking. They consist of several parts, including the outer ring and a muscled, interior cup. When pressed against an object, the flexible outer ring of the sucker takes the shape of the object and forms a watertight seal. Pressure is reduced in the larger inner chamber, creating suction and, as the arm muscles contract, it allows the octopus to grasp and pull objects.

Good luck breaking the suction, too. Octopus suckers also have a piston-like feature that can strengthen their hold even more when something, like a fish or other prey, tries to pull away.

The number of suckers an octopus will have varies from species to species. While some have more than others, the suckers are always arranged in two rows down the arm. One way to tell a male from a female octopus is to check out the suckers. In male octopuses, one of the arms is actually a reproductive organ, and this arm is discernable from the others by the fact that is contains fewer suckers than the other seven.

Now that you’re stuck with the facts about suckers, take a look at this cute video of an octopus that is pretty ticked off someone is messing with his house. The amusing encounter was filmed by the Nautilus Live crew as they performed an undersea repair of an electrical cable near their Ocean Networks Canada underwater observatory. Let’s just say that when it comes to tug of war, eight arms might not be enough.

Image via brunkfordbraun

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro