Cute to the power of 8: Tiny thumb-sized octopus

Each time we dip into our video archive, something fascinating pops up: unusual animal behaviours, strange creatures, amazing environments … the list goes on. The latest gem we’ve dug up features a tiny common octopus going about its business in the waters off South Africa’s western coast. The body of this juvenile is about the size of our diver’s thumbnail (it’s hard to believe this little guy is a relative of the 70kg giant Pacific octopus)!

Despite its size, the body is perfectly formed: that bulbous head, eight tiny tentacles and those rows of minuscule suction cups! And this youngster is already beginning to display that famous ability to mimic its background. This fast-paced development is necessary: given their relatively short lifespans, these cephalopods don’t have time to waste. As larvae, they are capable of high-speed, exponential growth (if a human baby grew as fast, it would gain more than 7kgs in just one month!).

Beauty & brains in one eight-armed little package.

Although vulnerable to predation, young octopuses have wits on their side – the octopus family are the Einsteins of the invertebrate world (which means they can come up with some nifty escape tricks!). And only a creature with no internal or external skeleton could evade its pursuers by maneuvering itself effortlessly into the tiniest crevice!