Play play play

I dearly love Octopus!  Long ago, someone taught me how to play with them, it takes patience.  Remember the Queen Conch shells out in the sand?  And how someone had killed some of them?  Well, an empty shell can be shelter for many different creatures.  There were, in an older post here, the pretty Banded Coral Shrimp, and the Giant Hermit crab.

As I was looking at this shell, I noticed something--- The sand seemed to be disturbed at the front, to the left in the photo.
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An eye!  A little Octopus was inside the shell, peeking out around the corner at the Big Bubbling Monster  (me).

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Funny little Octopus!  How I love Octopus!  I'll play with him.

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I settle in the sand, nothing to hurt, I checked, and extended my finger, ever so slowly, and started doing little digging wiggles.  Octopus watches, fascinated.

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I dig and dig, Octopus watches, jiggling around a little, huffing and puffing, trying to figure out what this wiggldy thing is in front of him.

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I keep digging and digging, adding a pinching motion, getting a little bit closer.  Octopus leans out of his shell.

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POP!!  Out he comes in an instant!

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Yipes!  I was expecting an tentacle, not the whole Beastie!  I jumped back, even though I have no fear.  I absolutely cannot play with an octopus without reacting like this, eeek!  Happens every time.

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Octopus jumps back into the safety of his protective Conch shell.  His tentacle defensively up in front.  My hand is GONE, hahaha.

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But I extend my hand again, in friendship.  He grasps me, his sucker cups pulling on my fingers.  I sat with him this way for just a moment, then pulled away and then left. 

I could have continued, and he would have come back out of the shell, and quickly run all over me, exploring.  I may have done that, stayed to play, but the current was just strong enough to be a real hassle, and I had the rest of my dive to do.

See how darkly the coloring is round his eye?  If you look back, you'll see that the color was very pale at first.  Then as Octopus became more excited, he turned dark brown.  

They have color cells in their skin that can change in an instant.  Not a second, but instantly.  Amazing to see.  The cells are shaped like little umbrellas, and the emotions of the Octopus control the color.  When an Octopus goes red, he's angry, and I'll leave him alone!  They can be pale blue, sandy white.  Brown seems to be their hunting color.

I'd love to take videos of these things, but the lowest price for an underwater video set-up is through the roof, and off to outer space after that.  One of those, 'when I win the Lottery' kind of purchases.  Boo, and Owell!

OK, off to my day.  For you, I wish enough!

Thanks for stopping by!

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