Shark or Octopus?
Imagine you're in an aquarium tank. There are spiny dogfish sharks swimming around and giant octopus lurking on the bottom.
Which would you be more afraid of? The shark or the octopus?
Who would win in a fight between the two?
Contents at a Glance
About Sharks
The spiny dogfish, spurdog, or piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias, is one of the best known of the dogfish, members of the family Squalidae in the order Squaliformes. While these common names may apply to several species, Squalus acanthias is readily distinguished by having two spines (one Category: wikt - :anterior|anterior to each dorsal fin) and its lack of an anal fin. It is found in shallow waters and offshore in most parts of the world, especially in temperate waters.
Shark Links
- Spiny Dogfish Shark
- The spiny dogfish is believed to be the worlds' most abundant shark and is the predominant shark species in Alaska.
- sharks , great white sharks, tiger sharks at LiveScience.com
- LiveScience.com explains sharks , great white sharks , tiger sharks, pictures of sharks and hammerhead sharks
- NOVA Online | Island of the Sharks
- NOVA Online presents Island of the Sharks
- SDNHM: Shark School
- Find out about sharks that live off the coast of San Diego and Baja California. We have descriptions of sharks, faqs, a glossary, and some games to play.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: Aquarium Exhibits - Sharks: Myth and Mystery
- Sharks: Myth and Mystery exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, features sharks and rays from around the world and the ways people celebrate these animals through art, dance and stories.
Photos of Sharks
Now you can see 2 whale sharks, but there are 3 whale sharks in this aquarium. T...
This trio of Blacktip Sharks is swimming in one of the many lagoons at the Atlan...
Galapagos sharks seen off the North Shore of Oahu. Although it is legal to bai...
Silvertip shark from Burma Banks in 2000. Most of these sharks have been wiped o...
Galapagos sharks seen off the North Shore of Oahu. Although it is legal to bai...
A black tipped reef shark. This one was about 1,5m but they usually get larger. ...
A pack of oceanic bullies. Galapagos sharks are beautiful, graceful oceanic pred...
Bull sharks from Southern Mozambique in Jan 2007. Conditions were incredible and...
A Black-tipped Shark swims by with Flying Fish nearby. Like my other shark photo...
Silhouette of a Grey Nurse Shark (
This lemon shark was roaming, feeling fresh dead fish underwater... There is onl...
This shark took a break from chasing the small tuna to come and check out my cam...
About the Octopus
The North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found in the coastal Pacific Northwest, usually around the depth of 65 meters (about 213 ft.). It can, however, live in much shallower or much deeper waters. It is arguably the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71 kg (156.5 lb) individual weighed live.Cosgrove, J.A. 1987. Aspects of the Natural History of Octopus dofleini, the Giant Pacific Octopus. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Biology, University of Victoria (Canada), 101 pp. The alternative contender is the Seven-arm Octopus based on a 61 kg (134 lb) carcass estimated to have a live mass of 75 kg (165 lb).O'Shea, S. 2004. The giant octopus Haliphron atlanticus (Mollusca : Octopoda) in New Zealand waters. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 31(1): 7-13.O'Shea, S. 2002. Haliphron atlanticus ? a giant gelatinous octopus. Biodiversity Update 5: 1. However, there are a number of questionable size records that would suggest E. dofleini is the largest of all octopus species by a considerable margin.Norman, M. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. Hackenheim, ConchBooks, p. 214.
Octopus Links
- How smart is the octopus? - By Carl Zimmer - Slate Magazine
- Aristotle didn't have a high opinion of the octopus. "The octopus is a stupid creature," he wrote, "for it will approach a man's hand if it be lowered in the water." Twenty-four centuries later, this "stupid" creature is enjoying a much better reputation.
- NATURE. The Octopus Show | PBS
- A creature of the ocean deep takes center stage when NATURE presents THE OCTOPUS SHOW.
- Octopus - travel methods and great deal of other information.
- Octopus.com - information on travel, anatomy, physiology, spicies of the great Mollusk - Genus Octopi.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: Giant Octopus Exhibit
- Giant octopus photos, videos and activities related to the Giant Octopus exhibit in the Ocean's Edge galleries at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California.
Photos of Octopus
An octopus (octopus vulgaris?) was washed ashore by the waves at St George Isla...
![Octopus [BDR 2005, 105-244] by Reef Reflections](http://static.flickr.com/23/35328986_b441c5afce_s.jpg)
This octopus was shot during the day, feeding at rubble piles on a sand flat. ...
A female octopus curls up to relax in the corner of one of the large tanks at Be...
An octopus on my head! My most viewed photo, mostly because it is in the Tenta...
Huge reef Octopus spreading its tentacles. Everything in its path just scurries ...
A Giant Pacific Octopus lies peacefully in a tank at the Marine Life Center at S...
![Octopus! by Nikographer [Jon]](http://static.flickr.com/1250/1022484500_1473cf455b_s.jpg)
Photo by my wife, Stephanie. Here's the octopus with its tentacles fanned out.
![Octopus [BDR 2005, 105-248] by Reef Reflections](http://static.flickr.com/28/43094571_3ebd8cbc0f_s.jpg)
More shots of the "could care less" octopus.
Octopus in open water (of its own volition) Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Archip...
The inky venom of the
![Octopus [BDR 2005, 105-216] by Reef Reflections](http://static.flickr.com/32/43094555_b02c016c0a_s.jpg)
More shots of the "could care less" octopus.
You Weigh In!
Voice your opinion on who would win here, THEN watch the video.
Who would win in a fight? Shark or Giant Octopus?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand bySharks have bigger teeth!
NotTheMama says:
Octopus - smarter. Shark - brutal. Sharks have it all the way. For many sharks, the octopus is a common prey item, so for them it's lunch. The octopus would just be defending itself and trying to get away. What, like a little ink is going to stop a tiger shark. Here I come octowus.
Posted September 11, 2008
worthprotectionsecurity says:
JAWS all the way! No matter what the video shows :)
I'll just have to find a bigger shark.
Posted August 05, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
I don't know. I don't care! Get me out of the aquarium! I don't want to tangle with either one of them.
Posted August 04, 2008
Octopus have all those arms!
dannystaple says:
Both are intelligent, but the octopus clearly has the edge here. The octopus is capable of jetting around using its mantel, may be able to camouflage or adopt different skin textures to fool the shark. The octopus has eight limbs, and loss of one is annoying but not critical - some can be detached at will and will continue to do what they were doing before for a while. An octopus could hold on to the side of the shark with its tentacle and do nasty things to a sharks gills with its tentacles. Yes the sharks teeth are big, but the octopus's beak is going to hurt plenty, especially gnawing from the side when attached.
Posted August 21, 2008
EditorDave says:
Well... being that I saw the video quite a while ago (and included it in my own Squidoo lens on Octopus and Sharks), I'd have to say that a Giant Octopus could successfully tangle with a small shark and have it for dinner. Now, if the shark was a Great White, it might be a different story.
Posted August 05, 2008
The Battle
Spiny Dogfish Shark VS Giant Pacific Octopus
Shark vs. Octopus
Think you know the outcome when its shark versus octopus? Think again! See All National Geographic Videos http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/?source=4001
Runtime: 2:46
140478 views
10 Comments:
Further Reference
Octopus and Shark Books
Octopus and Squid (Monterey Bay Aquarium Natural History Series) (Monetary Bay Aquarium Natural History Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
Cephalopods: A World Guide
Amazon Price: $68.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
Sharks of the World (Princeton Field Guides)
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 10/11/2008)
The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/11/2008)
The Encyclopedia of Sharks
Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 10/11/2008)
Feedback
Leave your comments, questions, etc.
|
|
dannystaple
Good lens - I am interested in Cephalopods and have seen the footage before, but its great fun to show it in this context. Movie villains should consider trading in the sharks with laser beams for an army of trained cuttlefish. Posted August 21, 2008 |
|
PleasantValley
Amazing video! I wouldn't want to be a sea creature or swim around with those guys. Posted August 11, 2008 |
|
|
ElizabethJeanAllen
Great lens. It would be an interesting battle to witness. Posted August 04, 2008 |
|
pyngthyngs
Now I know why sharks don't survive very long in our community. Great Monkeybrain. Posted August 02, 2008 |
|
GypsyPirate
LMAO!! Brilliant idea for a debate! No fair watching the video before you vote folks! Posted August 02, 2008 |
Fun Stuff
Octopus and Shark Toys
Fetching RSS feed... please stand by
This lens brought to you by the diligent cephalopods of Noadi's Art
This Lens Constructed By A Bonafide Giant Squid! Look For The Giant Squid Badge of Honor- Your Assurance Of Quality On Squidoo
Click here to start building your own lenses on Squidoo!
