Everyone's favorite eight-armed invertebrates are terrifyingly smart and surprisingly social, with scientists going as far as reading octopuses' minds to learn about their brains. If you want to know more about what researchers have discovered about these special cephalopods, Live Science has you covered. With stories explaining the mechanisms that allow octopuses to change color, why female octopuses torture and eat themselves after mating, how octopuses "see" light with their arms and more, our expert writers and editors deliver engaging news, features and articles about octopuses for you to read.
Discover more about octopuses
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Octopus quiz: Are you a sucker for cephalopod science?This quiz tests what you know about octopus anatomy and behavior.
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Why is the blue-ringed octopus so deadly?The blue-ringed octopus is by far the most venomous octopus.
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Blue-ringed octopus, one of the most toxic animals on Earth, bites teen after hiding in shellAn Australian teenager had a lucky escape after being bitten by an extremely toxic blue-ringed octopus. A toddler also came close to touching the deadly cephalopod.
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Watch ghostly dumbo octopus swim with its massive 'ears' in rare new footageOn an expedition in Hawaii, a remote underwater vehicle filmed a dumbo octopus swimming with its ear-like fins near the seafloor. The pale white creature is one of the deepest-dwelling octopuses on Earth.
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See extremely rare photos of alien-looking '7-arm octopus' spotted near Washington coastThe seven-arm octopus, which actually has eight arms, is one of the largest octopus species and is rarely seen by people because it normally dwells in the deep sea.
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Blue-ringed octopus, one of the most toxic animals on Earth, bites woman multiple timesAn unnamed woman was bitten twice by a blue-ringed octopus, which contains one of the most dangerous neurotoxins on the planet, but she escaped relatively unharmed.
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How do octopuses change color?Octopuses are one of the most successful camouflaging animals in the world. But exactly how they pull off their rapid, high-resolution color changes is still a mystery.
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Scientists capture the world's deepest octopus on video. And it's adorable.The octopus was found miles beneath the ocean surface.
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Alien Life Might 'Think' More Like an Octopus Than a HumanWhen an octopus uses its arms, it's a no-brainer.
