“Can octopuses do gymnastics at the bottom of the ocean?”

By Shala Howell, January 30, 2012

Warning: Watching the octopus video will raise all kinds of questions, like:

• Can Princess Octopuses have Prince Octopuses?
• And what’s in that big balloony head?

Fortunately, we’re here for you.

Thanks to our crack research team, when your Four-Year-Old asks, you can say with confidence that yes, there is a Prince Octopus. However, as he’s a boxer from Ghana who competed in the 2008 Olympic games, one hopes that the Princess Octopus will never meet him.

As for question number two: That big balloony head (technically called a mantle) houses the octopus’ brains, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems. (Diagram here, courtesy of How Stuff Works.)

Related Links:

• • How Octopuses Work (How Stuff Works)

• • Orion: Deep inside the mind of the octopus (sentientdevelopments.com)

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