Splash Zone: Kelp Forest Animals

Splash Zone Home Exhibit Animals Ocean Homes Penguin Cam Parents Guide Fun & Games

Red octopus

KELP FOREST HOME

Like magic, an octopus can change its color or shape in a flash. It can even change the texture of its skin to match rough sand, or smooth rocks. By hiding, an octopus stays out of danger.

Fun fact: The body of an octopus is soft with no bones at all, not even a backbone; so it can squeeze through small holes and hide in caves or under rocks.

An octopus's garden

An octopus hides out in its den by day, coming out at night to hunt for crabs and small fishes. When it finds prey, it pounces. Holding on with strong suckers, it cracks shells with its beak and injects poison. The octopus returns home to feast. After eating, it sweeps the empty shells into a pile outside its den called an "octopus's garden."

Super suckers

The suckers of an
octopus

are feet and hands and a tongue all rolled into one. Each sucker has its own muscles and nerves, so an octopus has a powerful grip and can walk on almost any surface. But suckers aren't just for moving and holding; they can also taste the difference between sweet, sour and bitter.

MORE KELP FOREST ANIMALS

Inspiring conservation of the oceans