Octopus

The octopus is a temperate marine mollusk that lives underwater. It cannot tolerate water temperatures below 7℃ and thrives best in seawater with a salinity of 1.021. It cannot survive in low salinity environments. It feeds on large zooplankton and grows. Octopuses live widely in shallow waters, with an average lifespan of only 3-5 years. Octopuses that live beyond 4 years are very rare, and those that live beyond 5 years can apply for the Guinness World Record. There are also giant octopuses distributed in the deep sea, which are different. They can live up to a hundred years. The Pacific giant octopus is the largest giant octopus, with a long lifespan and a weight of 272 kilograms. One of its tentacles can grow to about 10 meters long. Octopuses are carnivorous and especially love to eat shrimp, crab, and salmon because they are rich in astaxanthin in their bodies. Astaxanthin is the strongest antioxidant that can ensure the stable structure of myoglobin and prevent oxidation. For octopuses to survive in the deep sea, a stable myoglobin structure is necessary. If there is a lack of astaxanthin, the octopus's lifespan will be even shorter.

A fossil of an octopus with ten arms, dating back approximately 330-323 million years, has been discovered by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This fossil is believed to be the oldest known ancestor of both the vampire squid and octopus and has been named Syllipsimopodibideni. The inspiration for the name came from Joseph Biden, the 46th President of the United States. Vampyropods, a type of octopus, have been the ancestors of both the vampire squid and octopus, but their origins have remained unclear due to their primarily soft tissue composition, making fossils extremely rare. Previous sporadic remains have been traced back to approximately 240 million years ago, but genetic data suggests that the origins of vampyropods date back much earlier, around 330-250 million years ago. Christopher Whalen and Neil Landman of the American Museum of Natural History described a fossil representing a new species of vampyropod, which was discovered in the Bear Gulch Mine in the Mississippian Age in Montana, USA. The authors have dated this specimen to approximately 330-323 million years ago, making it the oldest known octopus to date.

1. Octopus Amoebic Disease

The diseased fish becomes emaciated, the body turns black, and there is more mucus on the surface. The gills become ulcerated and spotted. The abdomen becomes swollen, and white pus-like substances flow out when the abdomen is squeezed. When the fish is dissected, there is abdominal fluid, the intestines become thick and the intestinal wall becomes thin, and the intestine is filled with white grain-like cysts.

2. Octopus White Spot Disease

As the disease progresses, it quickly spreads and becomes severe, causing the tail fin of the diseased fish to rot or be incomplete. The diseased fish swims in an unbalanced manner, with its head down, tail up, and perpendicular to the water surface, until it dies.

3. Octopus Ulcer Disease

The Octopus Ulcer Disease often harms young fish. The cause of the disease is a secondary disease caused by improper conversion of food intake by the fish, resulting in nutritional and physiological disorders. Cloud-like round spots appear on the back of the affected octopus, gradually progressing to skin ulceration, muscle exposure, emaciation, and eventual weakness and death of the fish.

To raise an octopus, you first need to prepare a fish tank, in which you can also add some aquatic plants and sandstones. These substances can improve the ecological environment in the fish tank. As it cannot tolerate low temperatures, the water temperature should be controlled above 15℃, but not exceed 23℃. In addition, it lives in the ocean, so freshwater cannot be used. You must use water with a salinity of around 1.201 to cultivate pet octopuses.