We all know that an octopus has eight arms that have suction caps, and that they can be terrifying if they come too close. But, how many of us have actually seen an octopus walking? Or actually thought of it as even doing such a thing??
A video of an octopus walking on the ocean floor has gone viral on social media. While we refer to octopuses having all eight 'arms', biologists are now claiming that we should change the way we talk about them. The experts are suggesting that we need to refer to six of them as 'arms' and the rear ones as 'legs'.?
The video was released by the Discovery Channel and it shows how one octopus manages to walk swiftly along the ocean floor, using what seem to be its legs.
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People were quite amazed to see the footage and one user wrote, 'I just so never cease to be amazed by this amazing planet'.
Another user added, 'I also think they could walk vertically or horizontally because they have the suction cups. Amazing creatures'.
One more commented, 'Wow that is really interesting and incredible moment with this Octopuses Thank you for this amazing moment'.
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Octopuses swim through the sea by 'sucking water into their bodies and shooting it out a tube called a siphon', according to the World Animal Foundation.?
They also use their appendages to propel them in a certain direction.?However, a?study?done in 2005 revealed how they prefer to 'walk' when getting around and especially when trying to evade predators.
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In the March edition of the journal Science, it was explained how octopuses use their two 'legs' to move and the six 'arms' to 'transform their bodies into clumps of algae or rolling coconut shells that may not interest predators'.