FAQ
A contribution of The Cephalopod Page
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Hello Mr. Wood, I came across your name on the Internet and was wondering if you would answer a few questions for me? As you probably know NBC aired a movie call 'The Beast' about a killer octopus. I was just wondering has there ever been a reported incident of a human getting attacked/killed by an octopus? If so what kind of octopus would/could do something like that...i.e. how large are these animals and how strong are they.... and I was wondering if you could answer just a few more questions.
1. What is the largest octopus every found alive or dead? 2. Where can one go see this octopus? Is it in captivity somewhere? These are just some questions I have been wondering about for some time now and I just though I would ask an Expert. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks John Osstyn |
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| John,
So Hollywood is at it again. Not surprising, tales of cephalopods attacking ships and devouring sailors are nothing new; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo were both big hits. Since cephalopods can be large, strong, and intelligent and because most people don't know much about them, they make great monsters of the deep. Yes, people have died from octopuses. However, the 'killer octopuses' are very small (smaller than your hand) and rather beautiful. These octopuses, called blue ringed octopuses, are only found in Australia mate. To get bit, you have to pick one up, or pick up it's home (a shell). Of course, if you were 1000 times bigger than me and you picked me or my house up I'd bite you too! (after peeing in my pants first) BTW, I'm proud to report that just this week I was bitten by a small octopus (Bathypolypus arcticus). I was actually trying to get bitten and I wanted to know if it would hurt (in the interest of science of course - I mean I should know these things right? OK, maybe I'm not so bright). I've been trying to get bitten for a while, I've taken eggs away from females and then stuck my finger near their mouth - no luck until yesterday. It didn't hurt at all. BTW I'm not advising you to find the biggest octopus that you can and stick your finger in it's mouth... There are giant octopuses (O. dofleini) - they live in the Northeast and Northwest Pacific. Your average giant pacific octopus weights in at 15 or so kg and is regularly encountered by divers off of our West coast. They can get up to 50 kg. I suspect that West coast aquariums have specimens on display. There are debatable reports of octopuses much larger than this. The giant squid, however, is much more impressive. They can weigh up to a ton and can get to 60 feet long - these guys are the largest invertebrates on Earth. There has even been an attack in the last 2-3 hundred years by a giant squid - well, perhaps. James B. Wood |