Coconut octopus
Amphioctopus marginatus
- Scientific name
- Amphioctopus marginatus
- Group
- Cephalopods
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The coconut octopus collects coconut shell halves or empty seashells to use as portable armor, carrying them tucked under its body before ducking inside at the first sign of danger. This behavior is considered one of the few known examples of tool use among invertebrates.
What defines this group — Cephalopods
Octopuses, cuttlefish, squid and nautiluses: molluscs that became the most intelligent invertebrates.
- Eight arms — ten in cuttlefish and squid — set around a horny beak.
- Skin cells called chromatophores change colour and texture in a fraction of a second.
- Three hearts, and blue blood that carries oxygen with copper rather than iron.