The Unique Octopus

Pastor Gary Oser

Once again this month I would like to share with you from a book entitled, A Closer Look at the Evidence by Richard and Tina Kleiss. There are some amazing creatures that give evidence of a Creator God. One of them is the octopus. Have you ever seen and observed one?

The octopus has no bones, so it can slip through any opening large enough to allow its hard beak to pass. The rest of the organs contained in the dome-shaped head are so soft they can be flattened almost to the thickness of a sheet of paper. A 60-pound octopus can pass through a 2-inch hole!

The octopus has eight arms independently controlled by self-sustaining nervous systems. If one arm is cut or torn off, it can move away from the body and protect the octopus by distracting its enemies. The remote nervous system within each limb quickly seals off the blood flow to limit bleeding. The octopus can also quickly regroup lost limbs.

Each octopus arm has a double row of up to 240 suckers, which range in size from a pinpoint to 2.5 inches in diameter. The combined gripping strength is over 2,000 pounds. Because the suckers can lose their gripping strength when the lining becomes worn, the octopus regularly rubs its arms together by coiling and uncoiling them rapidly. This removes the old skin and allows it to be replaced with a new, smooth lining.

The octopus also has 3 distinct layers of skin containing tiny sacs of red, yellow and blue coloring. By shrinking some sacs and stretching others, it can change colors almost instantly, which helps it to camouflage itself to hide from its enemies and to help it hunt for food.

The octopus is not something which evolved from random mutations, as some would suggest. Rather, it is the unique creation of our amazing, creative God! To Him alone be the glory!