Watch an Octopus Grab a Giant Crab From the Sand and Gobble Up Everything Inside the Shell

You may have heard of a hungry hippo, but how about a hungry octopus? Some estimates place these critters at eating up to 4% of their body weight per day – talk about a case of the munchies! In the below clip, we can see an intense dinnertime struggle between a crab and an octopus. As you might have expected, the crab doesn’t win this round.

After trapping prey with their many arms, octopi can easily tire them out and move in for an easy meal. They also have potent venom that further disables anything unfortunate enough to fall on the menu. Thankfully, only very few octopi pose a threat to humans with their venom, namely the notorious blue-ringed octopus. A final weapon used during the hunt is their sharp beak, used for poking holes in caught quarry.

We can see most of these steps of the octopus hunting strategy in the below clip, before quickly tidying up and going back into hiding. Let’s learn more about these odd animals and figure out more about their mysterious nature.

How Smart Is the Octopus?

They’re rather genius, actually! While they are not aliens as some people might think (they’re mollusks), their otherworldly features are nothing short of amazing. Due to how complicated their tentacles are, the octopus nervous system extends from their brain into their arms. These nerves are super sensitive, and can actually function without direct signals from the brain. That said, it’s no surprise that an octopus can employ this to use tools and navigate through tricky terrain without a second thought.

Did you know that these grabby animals use their bizarre smarts to build underwater cities? Obviously, we’re not talking about lost civilizations here, but instead Octopolis and Octlantis. While researchers don’t quite agree with calling them “cities”, they are indeed complex habitats designed by octopi. Whether using naturally occurring structures or debris from humans, they’re quite remarkable craftsmen!

Can an Octopus Survive Above Water?

While an uncommon sight, the answer is yes! Several kinds of octopus have been observed to crawl between pools of water in search of food. They’re shockingly good at it too, and can hold their breath for quite a while. This goes back to the previous point of their sheer intelligence, and shows they can more than back it up!

Don’t Watch This While Eating!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Marty Wakat/Shutterstock.com