Many people might have heard about the tree octopus and the related hype. Let’s see some info on this elusive creature, by going though the facts given in this article.
Now those of you who are wondering what a tree octopus is, it is said to be an elusive creature, an octopus, scientifically named Octopus paxarbolis, mainly because of its habitat (Pacific Northwest tree octopus), and is supposed to be dwelling in water as well as on land, precisely on trees (thus the name)! Sounds pretty funny and surprising, isn’t it? This tree-dwelling mollusk is said to be a rare arboreal belonging to the order Cephalopod, and invariably an inhabitant of the forests from California to British Columbia.
- As mentioned, the tree octopus has been suggested to live in forests, mainly the Olympic National Forests.
- This creature is said to have a great ability to camouflage itself to the changing environment, and change colors according to its moods.
- Its habitat is said to be dual in nature, wherein, it spends a majority of its life on tree branches, jumping from one tree to another.
- This creature is supposed to be 33 centimeters in length and 6 feet in diameter, comparable to its aquatic counterparts. However, it is supposed to be very shy, and moves using its tentacles, the process being called tentaculation. It is said to switch over from one tree to another using these special organelles.
- Talking about eating habits, it is believed that it eats plants and insects, while its main predators include Sasquatch (endangered species itself!) and Bald eagles.
If you are well aware of scientific facts and use a bit of common sense and knowledge, the tree octopus seems nothing but a hoax! These hypothetical creatures were invented by Lyle Zapato, a Washington-based author and Web publisher, in 1998, and created an Internet hoax website to draw people’s attention.
He provided images depicting its habitat and tree-dwelling, along with the info given above in such a manner that it was thought to be real. However, if you happen to check the images closely, they are clearly suggestive of being Photoshopped.
He also suggested tree octopuses being endangered species, mainly because of excessive deforestation and pollution, for which people fell prey easily. However, many people still believe that tree octopuses exist, since the pictures appear seemingly real, and the information as well.
The tree octopus hoax has been around for many years now, and has been used mainly to distinguish between fake and real websites. Many instructors use it to make students aware of their critical thinking abilities. These are aquatic invertebrates with a permeable skin, owing to which they cannot live on land, and definitely never on trees. The bottom line is, tree octopuses do not exist; them being just one of the many hoaxes created on the net.
