How An Octopus Weighing 600 Pounds Squeezes Through Quarter-Sized Tube (VIDEO)

In this video from National Geographic, witness how a 600-pound octopus is able to squeeze through a tube the size of a quarter.

Because octopuses have no bones, they are able to fit in extremely small spaces, like in this 'plexiglass wonderland' created by Nat Geo.

And because of no air bladders or gas pockets, these magnificent creatures can live at extreme depths of the oceans with such intense pressures that, according to Nat Geo, would cause a human to implode almost instantly.

WATCH:

Comments

[farmilyman]

11:12 AM on 11/04/2010

That's how Rush Limbaugh gets away.

[zulubaker]

12:06 AM on 11/03/2010

obviously, this is one animal that has no intention of staying anywhere it doesn't want to

[alteredstory]

02:16 PM on 11/02/2010

Just FYI, Huffpo, the largest recorded octopus was around 150lbs - this 600lbs figure was hypothetical, and the octopus in this video probably weighs under 5lbs.

[JHKH]

10:43 PM on 11/03/2010

I saw the NatGeo show on octopi and wondered at this headline. Thanks!

[blueskybigstar]

12:14 PM on 11/02/2010

The octopus brain is worthy of much study.

[dirtydiverdave]

10:15 AM on 11/02/2010

Oh, I forgot to add something...

Squid, on the other hand, are probably the stupidest creatures God ever made. I once saw a squid get caught on a line, and brought up on deck, where it flopped around and eventually squirted it's ink sac (meaning, some single neuron in it's microscopic brain realized it was in trouble), and after a wave washed it back into the sea, saw it immediately attack the lure again and get hooked (this time, for good).

I've been in the water with Jellyfish which seemed to have more intelligence than squid, and they technically don't even have a brain...

Not wanting to diss you squid fans out there, but having first-hand experience with these guys, I feel no remorse about eating them - usually fried, with some buffalo wing sauce on the side.

:-D

[mozartian]

12:26 PM on 11/02/2010

LOL! that anecdote just about made my day.

[SurrealPumpkin]

02:52 PM on 11/02/2010

Squid are good food. I'm just as glad they aren't intelligent.

[dirtydiverdave]

10:02 AM on 11/02/2010

Dave has seen Octopi in the wild. Dave has played with Octopi in the wild.

This is no "600 lb." Octopus.

That's not to take away from how amazing these creatures truly are. They are inquisitive, intelligent, and dare I say it - Friendly.

They remind me of happy dogs that you sometimes meet on the street - you know, the ones who wag their tails and want to be pet? Not to equate their intelligence with dogs - I actually feel that they are more intelligent than dogs - closer to dolphins and whales, actually.

The sad thing is that a good friend of mine makes a killer Ceviche which uses a lot of Octopus in it. It is delicious... I feel bad, eating my underwater pals, but I'm the kind of guy who talks nicely to cows I see in the fields too.

Just because you find them tasty, doesn't mean you can't like 'em personally, I guess...

:-D

[Cali Saracen]

11:38 PM on 11/01/2010

That tube is basketball sized at least

[Lahonda]

11:32 PM on 11/01/2010

Now they're intelligent, or what? We have to perceive how we treat animals in a whole new way.

I keep thinking about whales and dolphins as possible aids to improving our oceans, if we broke more of their language codes.

[mlaiuppa]

11:26 PM on 11/01/2010

They are amazing.

And for a cephalopod, they're not stupid either. I've seen an octopus figure out how to unscrew a jar to get at a tasty morsel. It wouldn't surprise me to learn they used tools, like crows and monkeys.

[tagtron]

05:34 AM on 11/02/2010

Don't forget, one was able to select the winners in the World Cup on a regular basis, including the Final

[Edward Standley]

10:27 PM on 11/01/2010

Read recently that there are robots being developed with this shape-changing ability for search/rescue, exploration and, (of friggin course) military applications.

[Joy Division]

09:00 PM on 11/01/2010

Yeah, that's no 600lb. octopus.... I think at best it may be a 60lb. octo.

[mlaiuppa]

11:27 PM on 11/01/2010

Even at 60 lb it's still a pretty impressive feat.

[Musa1]

07:36 PM on 11/01/2010

Awesome. All praises are due to God for that creation.

[ThinkCreeps]

03:42 AM on 11/02/2010

Absolutely. If you have any time to waste praising imaginary things, your choice of god has to be a top choice destination for it.

[ThinkCreeps]

06:57 PM on 11/01/2010

Would that in fact be a 600-gram octopus perchance?

[Bogey907]

06:40 PM on 11/01/2010

Sharron Angle can do that to avoid a reporter.

[Edward Standley]

10:21 PM on 11/01/2010

Now dat's funny. faved.

[ThinkCreeps]

05:34 AM on 11/02/2010

She's a mama octopus for sure you betcha also too.

[GregJL]

02:08 PM on 11/02/2010

Freedom justice liberty

[getsit]

05:16 PM on 11/01/2010

I love these guys. Maybe they will take over the earth after we've committed our suicide of the human race.