![]() True, before there were much more of them – in the course of evolution, at least 40 species that inhabited our planet more than 60 million years ago died out. Animals left from there or died out, but the penguins, having adapted to the cold, remained. The continents drifted, Antarctica shifted to the South Pole and became covered with eternal ice. The ancestors of penguins lived in a temperate climate – when Antarctica was not yet bound by a glacier. All members of this family of flightless seabirds swim and dive well. The penguin family includes 18 modern species. This is likely due to the fact that penguins do not have land-based predators in Antarctica or nearby offshore islands. However, there is no way to give scientific confirmation of whether this is true. Unlike tamed animals, which have ceased to be afraid of humans only due to frequent contact with them, most penguins do not naturally fear humans.Īccording to many who have visited Antarctica, the birds mistook them for penguins, albeit a little strange. Octopuses only attack back if they are backed into a corner.Penguins are very curious birds and are almost fearless on land. They are also cannibals, meaning they won’t refrain from eating one another.Īlthough they are carnivores, octopuses behave like prey animals when chased. Octopuses are eaten by sperm whales, moray eels, sea otters, orcas, sharks, barracudas, and penguins. Octopuses in the larval stage also tend to eat each other. Small octopuses are especially susceptible to being preyed upon by bigger octopuses. If octopuses encounter each other when they don’t want to mate or they are of the same gender, it’s possible they perceive the other as food. They only seek out each other when they want to mate. It is theorized that senescence, the death of octopuses after mating, is an evolutionary way to prevent mothers from eating their children. As they lead a solitary lifestyle and only mate once, there is no natural block in them preventing cannibalism. Octopuses are highly prone to eat their own. Here are other large fish that eat octopuses: ![]() Īlthough barracudas are specifically mentioned in this list, any large carnivorous fish might eat octopus. Barracudas also outswim octopuses at 36 mph. When this happens, octopuses detach their arms to escape. As large octopuses are bigger than them, barracudas may prioritize attacking and eating their arms instead of their mantle. They sometimes attack cephalopods, which include octopuses.īarracudas are slender fish with long and narrow mouths. They attack anything that they can eat, which includes fish, crustaceans, and shrimps. Near shores in subtropical and tropical watersīarracudas are known for their extreme aggression. They prefer to eat smaller fish, like groupers and snappers, but the biggest ones attack larger octopus species as well. The highly aggressive barracudas are known to eat octopuses from time to time. Giant Pacific octopuses are known to eat smaller sharks. The predatory relationship between sharks and octopuses goes both ways. One shark species that prefers octopuses is the blue shark. Although they are capable of eating octopuses, sharks often opt for other prey instead, like fish. Sharks’ strong bites and up to 15 rows of teeth rip octopuses apart easily. This makes all shark species potential predators for octopuses. Octopuses vary in size as well, as the smallest octopus wolfi is less than an inch. The smallest dwarf lanternshark is about 6.7 inches long. An overwhelming majority of them are exclusive carnivores, with some outlier species being omnivores. Sharks are classified under the superorder Selachimorpha, which counts over 500 species. Shark species vary greatly in size, but all of them potentially eat octopuses. Sharks are among the top predators in the ocean, which means they eat nearly any animal, including octopuses. Many dolphins of this family also include octopuses in their diets: Orcas are part of the family Delphinidae, which includes oceanic dolphins. ![]() ![]() The most effective octopus defense tactic against orcas is to hide in a narrow crevice. Orcas swim faster than octopuses as well (35 mph against 25 mph). Some orcas pair up to counteract the fact that octopuses are solitary and attack from two sides.Īs they weigh 6,500–8,100 pounds more than the largest cephalopods, octopuses caught by orcas have no chance of survival. This helps them counter the similarly intelligent octopus’ tricks. ![]() Scientific NameĪll oceans and seas, except northern and secluded seas (like the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea)Īpart from their strength, orcas are fiercely intelligent. As they are incomparably stronger than any octopus, the cephalopods stand no chance when orcas catch them. As apex predators, orcas prey on nearly every animal they encounter, which includes octopuses. ![]()
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