What Is the Black Liquid Coming Out From the Octopus?

Octopuses are cephalopods, like their cousins the squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses. Octopuses have eight long arms, covered in small suckers; they use these arms to grasp prey and bring it to their beak-like mouths. Octopuses are very intelligent animals; cephalopods have the largest brains of any invertebrates. The brain represents a higher percentage of body weight in an octopus than in many fish and reptiles. While some cephalopods—such as nautiluses—live long lives, octopuses are short-lived creatures that seldom exceed 3 years of age.

When threatened, many species of octopuses—as well as most other cephalopods—will discharge a cloud of dark ink. The ink is composed primarily of melanin, which is the same pigment that darkens the skin of humans and many other animals. It also contains tyrosinase, a substance that irritates potential predators' eyes and disrupts their sense of smell. Under cover of this irritating, camouflaging ink, the octopus can often escape.

Though the term "sepia ink" is currently used to describe any number of reddish-brown inks, it originally referred solely to ink derived from cuttlefish. After drying and then grinding the ink sac and its contents, the preparers then mix the powder with shellac before packaging it for sale. Cephalopod inks are often used to color or flavor pasta and other foods as well.

In addition to using ink, octopuses have a plethora of other defensive tactics. They often use different defense mechanisms in conjunction with one another. For example, an octopus may attempt to flee an attacker by jetting away, and then try to camouflage itself on the sandy bottom. If these techniques fail, it may temporarily turn black, eject a cloud of ink, and then change to a different color before trying to slip away. Some, such as the blue-ringed octopuses (Hapalochlaena spp.), harbor bacteria in their mouths that produce powerful toxins, making a bite from one of these creatures potentially lethal to humans. As a final tactic, some octopuses may shed one of their arms to distract a predator, much as some lizards shed their tails.