OCTOPUS

The Octopus is a marine and carnivorous mollusc that lives in mild and tropical waters all around the world. Octopus is characterized for having a soft body with a well developed brain and 8 arms, each of which has two lines of suckers.Like in the vertebrates, the octopuses big and complex eyes have lens, which provide a keen vision. These animals are able to change, very fast, the colour and texture of their skin depending on their condition. They can reach one and half meters long and weigh 15 Kg.

            HABITAT

 The Octopus spends most of its life hiding, selecting natural holes between stones or rubbles. There are cases of small species, like the pygmy octopus which measures 2 cm long, that prefers to hide in the interior of an empty clam.

            FEEDING

 When the octopus emerges to feed itself, it is a generality among bivalve molluscs and crustaceans, it usually attracts its victims by shaking one of the tips of an arm as if it was a worm. Another way of feeding itself, is by sliding  getting closer and finally plunging over the animal, sinking its teeth in the interior of the wrapping or shell. On the other hand, octopuses are caught by numerous species, like the European eel. When the octopus is just about to be attacked, it sucks water into its mantle cavity emitting the water with strength through the funnel. As a result a propelled escape of the octopus is obtained, normally spiting ink.

            REPRODUCTION

 The reproduction of the octopus takes place at the end of winter and in spring, with a main concentration located near the coast.

A male interested in the mating, comes closer enough to the female so that when stretching out its changed arm, the hectocotyli, it is able to touch the female. This arm has a deep wrinkle between the two lines of suckers and ends with the shape of a spoon. After a period of attentiveness, the male inserts its arm underneath the mantle of the female, and the sperms move down the wrinkle to the oviduct of the female. A little while after the mating, the female starts laying eggs in its lair. The laying is approximately of 150 thousands in two weeks time, being each of them shut in a transparent capsule. The female protects them during the next 50 days, throwing water jets to air, and cleans them. The younglings of octopuses with white spots are only 3 cm long. They float on the surface and become  plankton for nearly one month, then is when they submerge and start a new life in the sea. Normally, the adult octopus, remains in a specific zone, but the species with plankton larvae are found all around the world because they are taken away by marine currents and tides.

            CONSUMPTION

 The octopus is, without any doubt, the most popular of all cephalopods. Its meat is appreciated for its high quality. It is commercialised fresh, frozen and canned.

            SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

 The octopuses belong to  the Octopoda group. Common Octopus is classified as Octopus Vulgaris, pygmy octopus from the Atlantic Ocean as Octopus joubini and octopus with white spots Octopus macropus, being all in the Octopodidae group.

            NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

      Approximated medium values for 100 grams of drained product: