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[gcbryan]

Roland Anderson , the Giant Pacific Octopus expert from the Seattle Aquarium, cleared up a few GPO facts for me recently so I though I'd share the info for anyone interested.

I knew that the GPO has a radula, beak, somehow used an enzyme to paralyze, and of course had the use of it's tentacles but wasn't entirely clear how the shells of crabs found outside it's den came to be that way.

I also knew that a GPO could pass through any opening as long as it was larger than it's beak but I wondered how it's brain and organs could pass through such a small opening.

Answers...

The GPO uses it's radula (tongue studded with a rough cutting surface) to drill a hole into the crab shell. It's saliva also is used to soften the shell. Then it injects a venom which kills the crab within a minute and also relaxes the muscles allowing for the meat to separate from the shell. The GPO uses it's beak to crack open the crab legs in order to extract it's meat.

Regarding a GPO passing through a small opening...they can pass though any opening larger than it's beak which is roughly the size of it's eyes. They don't like to pass through such a small hole and do it only when threatened. The brain of a GPO isn't very large even though they are supposed to be intellegent for an invertebrate (not a very high standard). The brain and other organs are soft and flexible.

These answers tied together things for me and I hope other's find them interesting.

[6Gill]

Great info....thanks

Eric