Bulgaria's Varna Aquarium Receives 1st Octopus

Octopus vulgaris can distinguish the brightness, size, shape, and horizontal or vertical orientation of objects. Photo by Wikipedia

The aquarium in the Bulgarian Black Sea capital Varna has a new inhabitant – a baby Octopus, (Octopus vulgaris), the Fish Resources Institute in the city announced.

This is the first time when the Aquarium will have this type of marine specie in its exhibition. The Octopus has been delivered especially for Varna from the Indian Ocean.

The Octopus vulgaris also lives in the Pacific and the Atlantic at a depth up to 100-150 meters at the most.

The Octopus is a predator. It hunts at dusk. Crabs, crayfish and mollusks are preferred, although the octopus will eat almost anything it can catch. It is able to change color to blend in with its surroundings, and is able to jump upon any unwary prey that strays across its path. The prey is paralyzed by a nerve poison, which the octopus secretes, and the octopus is able to grasp its prey using its powerful tentacles with their two rows of suckers. If the victim is a shelled mollusk, the octopus uses its beak to punch a hole in the shell before sucking out the fleshy contents.

Training experiments have shown that Octopus vulgaris can distinguish the brightness, size, shape, and horizontal or vertical orientation of objects.

They are intelligent enough to learn how to unscrew a jar and are known to raid lobster traps. Octopus vulgaris is the only non-vertebrate animal protected by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in the UK; they were included due to their high intelligence.

Their lifespan is anywhere between 12 and 24 months. The Varna Institute has announced a completion for the name of the local Octopus and the proposals can be sent by email to elics@abv.bg. The winner will be announced and receive their award on July 17th – the Day of the Varna Aquarium

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