Octo is for the eight arms of Oscar the Octopus. That’s a lot of knitting for Christmas mittens.

Did you know that the giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini) usually weighs up to 33  lbs. and has a tentacle (arm) spread of about 14 feet?

But the heaviest and largest scientifically recorded octopus of this species weighed 157 lbs. Claims have been made of even larger octopuses, but these have not been documented.

The smallest octopus (Octopus wolfi) is a tiny little fellow weighing only one gram. (It would take 454 of them to make a pound.) It is only about an inch long.

Most octopuses have a mild venom in them, but are not out to hurt people. However, the four types of blue-ringed octopuses (Hapalochlaena) can inflict a deadly bite, injecting a toxin called tetrodotoxin which can paralyze muscle and prevent breathing. If the victim of a bite from a blue-ringed octopus can get to a hospital immediately, and be kept breathing artificially, he may be able to recover within about 24 hours. Many of these blue-ringed octopuses are found near Australia.

There is so much more to know about octopuses – their relatively short lifespan, their method of defense by squirting ink. They are fascinating creatures (and so tasty to eat – sorry, Oscar).

Now to lighten your mood, here is a poem by Ogden Nash about:

The Octopus

Tell me, O Octopus, I begs,

Is those things arms, or is they legs?

I marvel at thee, Octopus,

If I were thou, I’d call me Us.

by Ogden Nash

O is for Oscar the Octopus