Octopuses are captivating marine animals, recognized for their intelligence and remarkable adaptability. A common question arises regarding their movement: do octopuses swim? The answer is yes, they do swim, but it is not their only, nor often their primary, method of getting around. These creatures employ a variety of unique locomotion strategies to navigate their underwater environments.
The Primary Method of Octopus Swimming
Octopuses primarily swim using jet propulsion. This involves drawing water into a muscular cavity, the mantle, and rapidly expelling it through a siphon or funnel. The ejected water pushes the octopus in the opposite direction, similar to a rocket. They control direction by orienting the siphon, allowing movement forward, backward, or sideways.
While jetting, the octopus streamlines its body, trailing its arms to reduce drag. Some species, such as cirrate octopuses, use fins to assist swimming, while others flatten their bodies and splay arms for additional lift or speed. This expulsion of water provides significant thrust, enabling rapid acceleration.
Beyond Swimming: Other Ways Octopuses Move
Beyond jet propulsion, octopuses frequently use other methods for daily locomotion. They are proficient at crawling or “walking” across the seafloor using their eight arms. Their suckers provide strong grip, allowing them to pull themselves forward and move in any direction, even at a 45-degree angle, without turning their entire body.
Some species, like the coconut octopus or the veined octopus, can “stilt walk” on two arms while carrying objects or mimicking plant matter for camouflage. Octopuses also exhibit burrowing behavior, digging into sand or crevices for shelter. For instance, the southern sand octopus uses its siphon to blast water into sediment, facilitating burrowing up to 20 centimeters deep.
When and Why Octopuses Choose to Swim
Octopuses typically reserve swimming, particularly jet propulsion, for situations where speed is paramount. It is highly effective for escaping predators or making rapid movements to catch prey.
While they can swim, octopuses often prefer crawling for routine travel. Jet propulsion is energetically costly, making it unsustainable for long distances. Therefore, swimming is usually employed for short, urgent movements rather than sustained travel.
Swimming Effectiveness and Limitations
While octopuses can achieve impressive speeds in short bursts, their jet propulsion has limitations. Average swimming speeds range from 2-10 mph, though some species, like the Caribbean reef octopus, can reach up to 25 mph for brief periods. This method is metabolically demanding.
When jetting, the systemic heart, which circulates blood, becomes inactive, leading to an oxygen deficit. Their lack of a streamlined body shape, compared to fish, and absence of stabilizing fins in many species, make sustained, efficient swimming challenging. Their soft bodies are not optimized for long-distance aquatic travel; crawling is generally a more energy-efficient locomotion mode.