From “Extraordinary Octopus Takes To Land | The Hunt | BBC Earth” by BBC Earth BBC Earth
An Octopus That Hunts Across Tidal Land
Nowhere is safe when this octopus is around.
Key points
- Northern Australia has the highest tides in the tropics, and these extreme tides expose vast areas of shoreline. 0:01
- This octopus is the only species specially adapted to walk on land, pulling itself along with the hundreds of tiny suckers that line each arm. 1:27
- Most octopuses would be trapped in their rocky pools at low tide, but this one hunts for crabs by walking from one rock pool to the next across the exposed shore. 0:40
- The octopus searches pool after pool, moving on when a pool holds no prey, as it did when it found only a startled fish in one pool and an empty pool next. 2:02
- The narrator argues that a rock pool offers prey no real refuge from this octopus, because its suckers let it move as stealthily in water as out of it. 2:41
Moments on the shore
- Adapted to walk on land — The narration says this is the only octopus specially adapted to walk on land, pulling itself along with its suckers. 1:27
- Hunting crabs from pool to pool — The octopus walks between pools in search of crabs. 1:46
- A startled fish — A rather startled fish is encountered, but the pool proves empty. 2:02
- Stealth in water and on land — Its suckers let it move as stealthily in water as out of it, so no pool is safe. 2:41
Things on the sand
- Octopus crawling on sand — A brown octopus with pale spotted suckers crawls over wet sand and rock.
- Octopus on muddy flats — An octopus sprawls across the mud beside a shallow tidal channel.
- Crab beside the octopus — A crab with raised eyestalks sits near the octopus on a sandy bed below orange coral.
- Tidal rock pool — A shallow pool of reflective water sits among algae-covered rock at low tide.