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I am an octopus.
My scientific name is Octopus Vulgaris.
My body is soft and I have a very big head, with eight sucker-bearing arms.
I live in the sea, in rocky or sandy sea bottoms, near the shore.
I hide in natural shelters such as caves or crevices.
I go out very little. I watch everything that happens around me, as I am very curious.
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At night I go out to search for food.
I catch my prey with my tentacles. First, I paralyse them with my poison and then I bring them to my shelter.
My mouth is in the lower part of my head: it is like a parrot's beak.
All my arms have two lines of suckers.
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I can crawl on the rocks, walk upright on the tip of my arms, or swim.
To defend myself from my enemies, I can change my colour depending on my environment.
When I feel in danger, I eject black ink to confuse my enemies. |
In winter octopuses head for the coast to breed. Each male looks for a female and they court the females by caressing them.
This male octopus is courting its female.
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Each female can spawn up to 150.000 transparent eggs, which have a sheaf or cluster shape.
She takes care or them for two months.
Babies are born in the spring. They are very small: only three millimetres.
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People catch so many of us that we are disappearing in some places. Because of this, you should not buy octopuses smaller than 750 gr.
People catch us with creels or by trawling. When we see the bait we embrace it. Then, the fishermen catch us and put us into a closed container.
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The “pulpo a la gallega” is always present in the anual festivals of every town in Galicia.
It is delicious!
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