Description

An octopus is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusk of the order Octopoda. The order consists of 300 species and is grouped within Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the center of the eight limbs.[a] The soft body can radically alter its shape, enabling octopuses to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their eight appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used both for respiration and locomotion by expelling a jet of water. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates.
Octopuses inhabit various ocean regions, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone, and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature early, and are short-lived. In most species, the male uses a specially adapted arm to deliver a bundle of sperm directly into the female?s mantle cavity, after which he becomes senescent and dies. In contrast, the female deposits fertilized eggs in a den and care for them until they hatch, after which she also dies. Strategies to defend themselves against predators include the expulsion of ink, camouflage and threat displays, the ability to jet quickly through the water and hide, and even deceit. All octopuses are venomous, but only the blue-ringed octopuses are known to be deadly to humans.
Octopuses appear in mythology as sea monsters like the Kraken of Norway, the Akkorokamui of the Ainu, and probably the Gorgon of ancient Greece. A battle with an octopus appears in Victor Hugo?s book Toilers of the Sea, inspiring other works such as Ian Fleming?s Octopussy. Octopuses appear in Japanese erotic art, shunga. They are eaten and considered a delicacy by humans in many parts of the world, especially the Mediterranean and the Asian seas.

• Contains 2 oz. Troy .999 Fine Silver
• Obverse:?An Octopus centered
• Reverse:?Large Intaglio Mint logo surrounded by plain border reading ?TWO TROY OUNCES? above and ?.999 FINE SILVER,? flanked by stars.