Changing Shape and Texture Octopuses can disguise themselves by changing shape, too. Some octopuses ball themselves up like a lump of coral. Others can stretch themselves out to look like sea snakes. An octopus has a third way to


disguise itself. It can change the texture of its skin. T e algae octopus can create a wispy texture on its skin. T en it looks like a piece of seaweed. When the octopus stays still on the seafl oor, it becomes invisible.


But Are They Smart? One question remains. Are octopuses smart? One experiment showed that common octopuses are good at tasks that they can learn. T ey also have a memory. T ose qualities are linked to intelligence. But no one really knows what octopuses know.


One Last Look You’re kneeling by a rocky slope. A small algae octopus crawls over the rocks. One arm fi nds a tiny hole. T en, one arm aſt er another, the animal streams into the hole. Gone? Not quite. T e tip of an arm


reaches out and grabs some stones. It pulls them over the entrance. All secure for the night.


sea snake octopus WORDWISE


cephalopod: a sea animal that has tentacles attached to its head, like an octopus or squid


invertebrate: an animal without a backbone


octopus neuron: a cell that carries


information usually between the brain and other parts of the body


TRAILBLAZER


9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24