plural | octopuses (not octopi)

MYTHOLOGY: Scandinavia has The Kraken: a mythological octopus-monster that terrorized open waters. But on the other side of the globe hails Na Kika the octopus god of the island Mo’orea in French Polynesia. Legend has it that Na Kika used their tentacles to raise islands up from the bottom of the ocean. They are so revered there’s a “church” dedicated to the cephalopod god and its modern-day ancestors.

Na Kika Octopus God | Synaptic Art by Natalie Doud

READ: Naturalist Sy Montgomery dives deep into the wondrous world of the octopus in the book The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness. Montgomery befriends several octopuses at the New England Aquarium, travels to Mo'orea (see above) and brings readers into the amazing "brain" of these exceptional creatures. Fact: most of an octopus' neurons are in their tentacles. Experts think they can detect slight changes in human emotions by "tasting" our skin with their suckers.

Good Reads

WATCH: After watching the documentary My Octopus Teacher (2020 Netflix) I won’t be ordering polpo off a menu ever again. A filmmaker forges a friendship with an octopus in a kelp forest off the coast of South America. We get to see intimate footage of just how clever, resourceful and emotive octopuses can be. I was blown away watching the octopus camouflage itself for hunting and hiding– chameleon’s stick out like sore thumbs when compared to the octopus.

Well-Read Octopus | Studio Catawampus

ESCAPE ARTIST: In 2016 Inky, a male common New Zealand octopus the size of a soccer ball, escaped from his tank at the National Aquarium of New Zealand and found his way back to the ocean. Octopuses aren't just intelligent they're also incredibly strong and have insane dexterity (the don't have bones). Inky used this trio to slip out of a narrow opening of his enclosure, scamper across the floor to a 6-inch-wide drainpipe that he shoved himself in and oozed down all the way to the sea. Viva la Inky!

Etsy

POLL: Over this coming year I'm going to try a 100% octopus-free pescatarian diet. What's your resolution?