What does the octopus symbolize to you?
📸: @snorkeldownunder 
This Eye of Sauron-esque portrait of the Māori Octopus is eye-conic — with its spiky skin and long uneven arms, the Māori reigns supreme as one of the largest octopus species in the world, rivaling even the Giant Pacific Octopus!

Octopus are the traditional health model for the Māori people!
 In Māori, wheke (pronounced Feh-keh) means octopus. The concept of Te Wheke defines a family’s health.
 * The head and body of the octopus represent te whanau, meaning family.
 * The eyes represent waiora which is meant to reflect the total wellbeing of the family and individual.
 * An octopus's arms symbolize different dimensions of health, such as spirituality, physical wellbeing, extended family and the life force in people and objects just to name a few.
 These arms of a family’s health are interwoven with one another focusing not only on a person’s physical wellbeing but also their mental health, including relationships with other family members, others, and the natural world. 

If you read this far comment “Maori” below and let us know what you love about this photo!

🏷 #science #nature #biology #marinelife #cuttlefish #octopuses #cephalopods #reef #underwater #diving #oceanconservation #sea #biodiversity #marinebiology #ocean #adoptanoctopus #nationalgeographic #natgeoyourshot #STEM #scuba #scubadiving #underwaterphotography #wildlifephotography #myoctopusteacher #octonation

Which fact below was most interesting?
📏 It’s always FlexFriday! 💪 The Ornate Octopus boasts arms that are 6 to 8 times the length of its mantle (body). Imagine having over 6 foot long arms; you’d never need a ladder again! 🪜 (~2 meters) 
 🛑 No Detachable Arms Here! While some octopus have the option of shedding a limb to escape danger, our Ornate friend doesn’t roll that way. No arm autotomy for this octo! It’s all or nothing. 🚫✂️
 🕸️ Less web, More Speed 🐙 💨 Check out the lack of webbing between those arms! The web is super shallow, with the deepest part being around 10% of the arm length. Shallow webs can offer increased agility and speed. Think of it like wearing fingerless gloves instead of mittens; you get more dexterity and freedom of movement! 🖐️✨
 🍭 YoWza! Sucker Central! You might find a whopping 300 to 400 uniform sized suckers on each of their arms (except the males shorter mating arm curled up on the right! See it?). Talk about grip strength! Compare that to the giant pacific octopus who has around 240 suckers of varying sizes on each arm
 🎨 Dressed to Impress! Sporting a red-brown hue with paired white spots running down their arms, this handsome octo has arms for days! Check out those glowing white rings just above each sucker 🤩 With colors ranging from brown to Darth Maul red, paired with white spots and ridged stripes on its head, it’s like a squishy Stegosaurus decided to take a dip in the ocean! 🌊🦖
 🤔 Why the Arm Variety Show? While the deep-sea scrolls don’t spell out the exact reason for the varying arm lengths, we can make a guess! Those long front muscular arms? Perfect for sneaking into tight spots, snagging a snack, or giving their surroundings a good feel. Long arms might just be the secret agents for special octo-missions. 🕵️‍♂️🦐 If ya read this far, comment “Ornate” below— and if ya love the music — check out @ainsworththemusician ! 
🏷 #science #nature #biology #marinelife #cuttlefish #octopuses #cephalopods #reef #underwater #diving #oceanconservation #sea #marinebiology #ocean #nationalgeographic #natgeoyourshot #STEM #scuba #scubadiving #underwaterphotography #wildlifephotography #myoctopusteacher #octonation

Who else is watching this on repeat?
🎥: @scubarista 🏆 
Think your latest flatscreen TV is state-of-the-art? Meet the skin of a Day Octopus — it’s so advanced it’ll have ya saying “Cute pixel attempt, HUMANS!” Seriously, their skin is like nature’s version of an 8K, 3D screen! Instead of mere pixels, this superhero has fantastic Phores: chromatophores, iridophores, leucophores, and photophores. 
 Imagine diving alongside a coral reef and BAM! In a flash, an octopus shifts from a smooth “flatscreen” to mesmerizing 3D textures, all thanks to their skins network of finely controlled muscles that create on demand bumps and ridges (papillae) 

As if that isn’t cool enough, the octopus swiftly changes from stealthy rock-gray to a cryptic and mottled maroon. 

Then, for that unmatched aquatic shimmer? Enter iridophores that reflect light from the sun like a mirror.

And if you wondered how this octopus creates a pristine white glow— thank it’s leucophores that scatter and reflect light.

Fun Fact: This is a bit like how polar bear fur works but underwater! Polar bear fur is actually translucent and only looks white because it reflects visible light. You’d never guess that polar bears have black skin! 
 So while your TV sticks to its 2D dimensions, the Day Octopus can rock over 100 looks in a few hours, in vivid 3D!
 Next time you’re binging your fave series, remember: There’s an octopus out there giving exclusive episodes on their skin with unique visuals that will never be seen again! If ya read this far comment “phores” below and we’ll send ya our blog titled The Fantastic Phore, where we attempt to demystify how octopuses change colors— comment phores and I’ll send it your way! #OCTOpusMonth Continues!!!

Ever heard of a “big-eye jellyhead”? (Yup, that’s it’s actual nickname) 🎥: @deepseauwa 
 Cirrothauma magna is a mysterious, deep-sea cirrate octopus.

Cirrate’s are a suborder of octo with hair-like cirri on their suckers and epic body fins; however, they don’t do the whole inking thing – it’s just too dark down there for such theatrics!

🐘 Cirrates are often referred to as dumbo octopuses! Yup, a nod to Disney’s flying elephant. Only, this one is swimming in the deep abyss instead of soaring in the sky. (3ish miles deep to be exact! Or 5km) Hold up - this isn’t the only cool thing about this species…inside that squishy, jelly-like head is a “U” or saddle-shaped shell giving support to those flappy fins. 

It’s not a super hard shell though— push your ear down with your fingertip and let go… it’s more cartilage-like than boney! 🦴 
 Now, you might be used to other octos zooming around with jet propulsion blasting water out of their tube like siphon…

With the crushing pressures of the deep sea, it’s possible that it abandoned this form of locomotion (movement)

They rely on those flappy fins and parachute or umbrella like webbing to sail & pulse smoothly through the deep.
 They’re basically giant Dumbo octopus in a dress! With a length of up to 1.7 meters (5 foot 6) , they’re the largest of their kind (hence magna in the name!)
 Fun fact: Unlike most of their octo-cousins, these big-eyed beauties have NO color-changing cells. And those arms? One row of suckers, lined with hair-like structures called cirri (think “Siri”). Cirri = food delivery system. Yup, the currents they create probably help serve up a delicious meal straight to their beaks. 🍽️🌊 The video above features a majestic Cirrothauma magna parachuting across the ocean floor searching for its next snack! 

Is it just us, or does it remind you of the activity in PE with the rainbow parachute (IYKYK) 👀 If ya read this far comment “jellyhead” below!!!! (We’ll send you a bonus blog on cirrate vs. incarnate octopuses) Does anyone have a new favorite species? 🤩 #OCTOPusMonth continues!!!! 🎶: Wonder Waltz by @novomusic_production

🐙🎉 Happy #OCTOpusMonth Everyone!!!
How long have you been following @OctoNation?

🤯 We’re celebrating our 8th year since founding this account in late 2015! 🎊 🐙 It’s wild…What started as a hype account for our favorite animal turned into one of the coolest communities and nonprofit organizations online. World Octopus Day is celebrated October 8th…BUT similar to a birthday month— we’re taking the FULL MONTH to party with y’all and provide you with content to share far and wide! 

🚨 It’s officially #OCTOpusMonth BABY! 🐙🎉 We’ve saved some of the coolest clips for this month so stay tuned— oh and tons of random giveaways to those who comment beneath our posts. 📺 Until then— here’s what we wanna know from you! Answer as many as you want! We OBCEPH’D with reading about our people. 1. Where in the world do you live? 2. When did you first learn about the octopus? 3. What fascinates you most about them? 4. (Bonus) Why do ya think it took the world so long to catch on to how epic they are? We’re gonna be giving away stickers, keychains & fun merch randomly to some of you that answer. Reading your comments is really what has powered this org since day 1— everyones thoughtful responses means more than you may realize…none of this would be possible without the collective— from underwater photographers, to artists, to octopus enthusiasts, to scientists, to scuba divers, and more— this is our month. 

🐙💙💙💙 
love ya with my (sadly only one) BIG heart, Warren Carlyle Founder @OctoNation

PS: We’ve gotta small but mighty team! Show em some love. Founder & Writer of IG posts: @OctoWarren Scientific Advisor: @theoctogirl Creative Director: @Chrisacreative Blog Writer: @CorinneLovesNature Blog Manager: @VZandCompany Mentor: @SyTheAuthor 🎥: @meta - thank you for featuring us, we hope to continue being an example of what’s possible for other creators & organizations on this platform when you put your community first. #OCTOpusMonth #octopus #cephalopod #October #inktober #science #stem @metasocialimpact @metaforedu #meta #facebook

[edit: giveaway has ended!] OctoNation is beyond thrilled to offer you a chance to win 1 of 5 hard cover copies of the newest octopus book to hit the shelves— and it’s a BIG ONE (Nearly 300 pages)  🐙 🎉We're celebrating the launch of an incredible new book, "The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives: A Natural History of Cephalopods" by the remarkable Danna Staaf, a seasoned marine biologist and a proud contributor to the OctoNation blog!  🥰 She's a cephlebrity in our world who knows how to write for our people!

Danna said “It’s an exploration of my favorite group of animals, written in language that doesn’t require a science degree” 🗺️ Embark on a global journey through varied marine habitats, witnessing the mesmerizing life cycles, behavior, and adaptations of these charismatic squishy geniuses filled to the brim with photographs and illustrations!

🐙🐙 To Recap 🐙🐙 
⬇️ HOW TO ENTER ⬇️ 1. Comment “Octopus” down below & we’ll shoot you over a DM with where to enter and more photos of the inside of the book!
 2. OR Visit Link in @OctoNation bio to enter!

👥 Not required (but appreciated): Tag some friends below you think would love this book! 

HUGE Congrats to author @dannajoystaaf — and Good luck everyone! 

PS: for those that don’t wanna try their luck— still comment “octopus” and we’ll tell you where to buy it so you can support an independent book store (and have Danna sign your copy!) sound good? Let’s rock. 🐙🤘 🤓 THE FINE PRINT: Contest ends at 11:59 PDT on Wednesday, September 27th. 5 (or more) Winners will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday, September 28th. This giveaway is open to anyone who submits their information to OctoNation’s website, including international entries, and is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered, or hosted by Instagram Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 18+ years of age, release the hosts and Instagram of responsibility and any liability, and you are agreeing to Instagram's terms of use. Void where prohibited, no purchase necessary. All entries will be verified - no spam or giveaway accounts.⁣⁣

What’s goin on here? (Wrong answers only) 🎥: @melaniebrauckhoff⁣⁣⁣ Much like humans have fingernails to help grab and pick at things, octopuses have a chitinous cuticle that serves as a protective lining for their suckers. 

📲 kinda like how you can put a screen protector on your phone to prevent scratches— The chitinous cuticle acts like a built-in screen protector for each sucker.

When the cuticle becomes worn out, the octopus flips on self cleaning mode, swirling its arms to peel away the outer layer of skin, leaving behind “sucker confetti” that float around like lily pads. 🎉🎉🎉 see em? 

💅 This isn’t just a beauty regimen—it’s an important activity that improves their grip on objects and sharpens their tasting and smelling abilities. 

Much like a chef sharpening their knives or a musician tuning their instrument, the octopus ensures its tools (their hundreds of suckers) are in tip top condition! 🔘🔘🔘 If ya read this far and can’t get enough, comment “sucker” below, & we’ll shoot some more facts your way 🥰🐙 🏷 #science #nature #biology #reef #underwater #diving #sea #biodiversity #ocean #animals #fish #octopus #natgeo #nationalgeographic #natgeoyourshot #STEM #scuba #scubadiving #underwaterphotography #wildlifephotography #myoctopusteacher #love #Dream #Dreaming #wildlife

😏 Who will read to the end?!🦑 🎥 @schmidtocean Picture this: you know that eerie zone in the ocean that’s so deep, it’s like that basement in horror movies where you shout at the screen, “DON’T GO DOWN THERE!!!”? 

Yep, that’s where this Vamp hangs out - in the oxygen minimum layer, which is about ~600 meters deep (just to put it in perspective, that’s almost 2 times the height of the Empire State building!) 

This place is like the VIP lounge for underwater life with an affinity for low-oxygen spaces; it’s been the “it” place for vampires since the jurassic era 150 million years ago. 😎 

We Imagine this cloaked beauty just lounging there, saying something like “Oh, you need more than 5% oxygen saturation to survive? Can’t relate, babe.”

5% oxygen saturation is the deep-sea hang out exclusively for anaerobic bacteria, weird worms, and other microorganisms who can party without oxygen

The vampire is pretty exclusive too. It’s got its own clique, or scientifically speaking, its own order called Vampyromorphida— this means when you say cephalopods you gotta say, “You know— Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish, Nautilus, & Vampires!” In its early life, when it’s just a kiddo measuring about as long as your fingernail, it gets around using a rather awkward jet propulsion system and the most adorable 4 little flappy fins! 
 But oh boy, get ready for the season when they hit puberty & totally revamp their style. Vampy goes through the ultimate glow-up when the fins closer to its arms get bigger— the other pair of fins absorb into its mantle and they use the bigger ones for aquatic flight! 

One last fact… 
If a predator sneaks up on, vampires can start a crazy light show that’s basically the underwater equivalent of a rave.
 First, it fires up bioluminescent glow sticks on its arms and fins, throwing shapes and moving in ways that would have anyone mesmerized. 
 Then Vamp goes full-on rave mode, releasing a storm of blue glowing orbs like the most epic confetti cannon ever, leaving everyone guessing where the life of the party vanished to! 🤔 If ya read this far comment “show me the baby” below and I’ll send you a 4 finned baby vampire clip! Learn anything new?!

Which Vampire s̶q̶u̶i̶d̶ fact surprised you? 🎥: Clip via @nautiluslive (edit by @octonation ) 1️⃣ While we’re out here trying to master the latest TikTok dance, vampires are like, “Been ruling the seas since the Jurassic, sweetie. Keep up!’💃⁣” 📱Translation: If they had social media, they’d be posting ‘Throwback Thursday’ pics from over 150 million years ago! 2️⃣ Vampires live longer than most (known) cephalopods - researchers believe that the vampire could possibly live up to 10 years! (Nautilus have em beat at 15-20 😉) 3️⃣ They’re NOT squids - the vampire is commonly referred to as a ‘vampire squid’ as their scientific name literally translates to vampire squid from hell *insert evil laugh* 🔥 (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) 👋 Well hello 2023— deep sea researchers say vampires are more closely related to octopods! They actually belong to their very own taxonomic order called Vampyromorphida. So you can simply refer to them as ‘vampires’ - unless you can think of a better nickname? 🤩 Oh and #AnimalCrossing fans: have you seen the vampire while playing? 4️⃣ They’ve got BIG BLUE eyes 🔵 🔵 Relative to their football size which is about 1 foot (.3 meters), vampires have the largest eyes when compared to any animal in the animal kingdom! Same diameter as a human eye! (~1 inch) 👁️ 5️⃣ They eat marine snow ❄️ sounds almost like a delicious underwater snack, huh? It’s a mixture of dead sea creatures, snot, and fecal pellets passed by small animals 😅 yumm, riiight?— while most species of cephalopods are carnivores —vampires are detrivores! (most metal lookin’ ocean janitors we’ve ever seen!) 🧹🦑 6️⃣ They’ve got tricks up their sleeve! 🎣 Vampires have two retractable sensory filaments lined with hair like structures used to gather marine snow. Think of the filaments as a living fishing line in the dark. The vampire feels something out and swoops down to feed on it! 7️⃣ They don’t die after laying eggs!⁣⁣ Most Cephalopods die after spawning just once! Vampires can go for 20 cycles of birthing— or about 6K to 20K hatchlings throughout their lifetime ❓ Which fact did you find most fascinating!? If ya read this far, comment “marine snow“ below!

#SQUIDtember Initiating Cruise Control🛸 🎥: @_bugdreamer_ Like octopuses, squids take seawater into their mantle cavities and exhale through a single tube (siphon) If you’re wondering how they stay torpedo shaped, it’s because they have an super sleek internal shell called a pen 🖊️ Unlike a cuttlefish’s cuttlebone that acts like a witches broomstick, a pen doesn’t help em float at all! — but it does keep them in a perpetual streamline position to make for a super fast escape! 🦑 kinda similar to how we humans raise our arms over our heads when we dive! If opalescent squid wanna switch into hyperdrive— they’ll wrap their oval-shaped fins around their body, bring their arms close in and use jet propulsion to blast themselves into another galaxy. 👽 whoOshh!!!! 🚀 (as you can imagine this reduces resistance in the water just like a swimmer wearing a bathing suit 🩱) This view definitely gives us an appreciation for how elegant squids are 😌🦑 If ya read this far, share this to your stories to spread the word #SQUIDTEMBER! Learn anything new?

🦑🎉 Merry #Squidtember Nation! - this month we’re gonna work our squid cousins into the mix a bit more!!!! Ready? Let’s rock… For decades, marine biologists assumed that all squids laid their eggs in clusters on the sea floor, where the eggs developed and hatched without any help from their parents. However @mbari_news scientists discovered that some female deep-sea squid, like this iconic Gonatus onyx, aka the Black-eyed squid, brood their eggs by carrying them between their arms until the young hatch and swim away— and because they cannot swim very quickly, brooding mamas may be easy prey for deep diving marine mammals. Keep swimming strong mama squid! Also - does this brooding style remind you of any octopus species? How about the female Blanket octopus (Tremoctopus) — she too spends her whole life floating in the open ocean. When it’s time— she carefully braids & attaches ~150,000 eggs to sponge like stalks that she sprouts out of her body ala jack and the beanstalk style. If you want to see her eggs, comment “blanket” below - and I’ll send a photo your way! Open water cephalopod mothers unite! 🐙🤜🤛🦑

[edit: spots closed for these designs] 🗣️Comment “Sticker Club” if you want these! 
Which one do you LOVE? 1️⃣ 🍿Movie time Octo 🎬 2️⃣ 🎮 Gamer Octo 👾 🎉 VisitLink in @octonation bio or comment “sticker club” below if you want the set! Proceeds go to keep our science writers writing! ✍️🐙 The sticker club includes Monthly stickers, coloring sheets, polls on new designs, and allllllllll ur octo dreams coming true. 🥹🤩🥰🐙 Also— would you get this design on a coffee mug or cold brew glass? Thinkin’ about making em available!