Growing up in a remote Australia desert beach, I spent a lot of time playing with creatures like this (among many others) and I have come to love them with a great deal of passion.
If you're ever in a situation where you want to play with an octopus, but are having a hard time getting its attention, remember this trick: take a gold coin out of your pocket, shine it in the sun, and use it to the lure the octopus into your domain. I've yet to meet an octopus I can't convince to play with me for a while, for the cost of an Australian gold coin or two.
Another thing that I love about these creatures is that they are intensely playful. I once watched an octopus playing with the sandfish around his hole .. he dangled an old crayfish head, long since hollowed out, at the end of a long string-like tentacle, luring the stupid little fish into his lair .. I watched him for hours, just lazily casting it out, bringing it back .. it didn't seem like he was fishing (although he'd have been quite capable of it) but more like just entertaining himself by watching the stupid little fish fall for the trick, over and over again ..
Lovely creatures. Be nice to them, you might make a reef friend. (Watch out for the blue-rings, though, you don't want to play with them too much, heh heh..)
If you're ever in a situation where you want to play with an octopus, but are having a hard time getting its attention, remember this trick: take a gold coin out of your pocket, shine it in the sun, and use it to the lure the octopus into your domain. I've yet to meet an octopus I can't convince to play with me for a while, for the cost of an Australian gold coin or two.
Another thing that I love about these creatures is that they are intensely playful. I once watched an octopus playing with the sandfish around his hole .. he dangled an old crayfish head, long since hollowed out, at the end of a long string-like tentacle, luring the stupid little fish into his lair .. I watched him for hours, just lazily casting it out, bringing it back .. it didn't seem like he was fishing (although he'd have been quite capable of it) but more like just entertaining himself by watching the stupid little fish fall for the trick, over and over again ..
Lovely creatures. Be nice to them, you might make a reef friend. (Watch out for the blue-rings, though, you don't want to play with them too much, heh heh..)