Octopus Day Date in the current year: October 8, 2024

Octopuses are soft-bodied, eight-limbed molluscs that belong to the class Cephalofoda, alongside squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. They are among the oldest creatures on Earth; cephalopods have existed for 500 million years, and the oldest known fossil of octopus ancestors is almost 300 million years old. But octopuses may have actually existed for longer than that; it’s just hard to prove since octopuses are mostly soft tissue and their fossils are therefore relatively rare.

Their ancientness, however, isn’t the only thing that makes octopuses so amazing. These animals have three hearts, and each of their tentacles has thousands of chemoreceptors that allow octopuses taste what they touch. Moreover, octopuses can change their color as a form of camouflage and shoot the ink. All octopuses are venomous, but most species are not deadly to humans. The only exception is the blue-ringed octopuses whose venom can kill a human within minutes.

But that’s not all! Octopuses have a very high brain-to-body weight ration and a highly complex nervous system (for mollusks). They have a good memory (both short- and long-term) and an ability to distinguish between different geometric shapes. They have also been observed to play and use tools. Overall, octopuses are considered highly intelligent, but there has been an ongoing debate concerning the extent of their intelligence.

Such amazing creatures definitely deserve their own holiday! The best way to celebrate Octopus Day is to attend a public aquarium and observe octopuses, but we realize that not everyone has such an opportunity. Watching a documentary about octopuses is the next best thing. What you shouldn’t do on this day is eat sushi (or anything, actually) with octopus because it would be highly disrespectful.