What do you give an Octopus for Christmas?
This fascinating story is published courtesy of www.thisiscornwall.co.uk.
All text and pictures are by those persons named.
OCTOPUS GRIPPED BY CHRISTMAS TOY
TIWO DAKA
11:00 – 11 January 2008
Louis the Giant Pacific Octopus is so attached to the Christmas present that was dropped into his aquarium tank, he fights his keepers whenever they try to take the toy from him.
The creature is so fascinated by his new Mr Potato Head toy, which can be dismantled and put back together, that he gets aggressive when staff at Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium try to take it out of the tank.
Louis – who is 6ft in diameter and is named after Louis Armstrong – formed an unlikely attachment to last year’s must-have toy – Mr Potato Head Opti-Mash Prime – after staff gave it to him as a Christmas gift.
Blue Reef curator Matt Slater said they had not anticipated that Louis would become so attached to the toy.
“We thought it would be a nice Christmas present to enrich his environment. We try and give him different items to play with regularly,” he said.
“Octopuses are very intelligent and they like to be stimulated and busy.
“Louis is well known for his curiosity and intelligence.
“We’ve devised a series of puzzles, games and toys to ensure he’s getting the mental and physical stimulation he needs but Mr Potato Head is definitely his favourite.
“He’s fascinated by it.
“There’s even a secret space within Mr Potato Head that allows us to hide tasty treats inside and that perhaps more than anything has resulted in him becoming such a hit.
“He attacks the net we use to fish the toy out every time we try and take Mr Potato Head away.”
Mr Slater added that the staff had to prise the toy away from Louis on a daily basis, returning it to him for a few hours of fun each day.
Eighteen-month-old Louis is half way through his life, as the creatures only live to be about three years old. He is expected to grow to be about two metres in length.
The Giant Pacific Octopus is the world’s largest species of octopus and is found from Japan to southern California.
The biggest recorded specimen had an arm span of 10m (33ft) and weighed 270kg (600lb).
As well as being the largest, the Giant Pacifics are also among the cleverest members of the cephalopod family.
In the past keepers have used everything from Perspex boxes to rubber toys and even fishing floats to keep the octopuses mentally active.
Octopuses have a solid beak for a mouth, and as long as they can get their beak through an object they are capable of squeezing their whole body through after it – making Louis able to get through a space just an inch in diameter – the size of his beak.
Technorati Tags: Octopus, Giant+Pacific+Octopus, Newquay+Blue+Reef+Aquarium, Mr+Potato+Head,