Octopus From Space

They are among the weirdest creatures on Earth.

But maybe it’s because they didn’t start out on Earth?

Octopuses — with their strange bodies, eight tentacles and intelligent-looking eyes — are part of the cephalopod family that also includes the squid, nautilus and cuttlefish.

They have been around for more than 100 million years, but some scientists and astrobiology researchers now contend they are descendants of space travelers that landed on Earth when pieces of space debris containing frozen alien octopus eggs crashed into Earth’s oceans.

It’s a theory called panspermia, and — in the case of octopuses — has received some scientific support, though there’s really no way to absolutely confirm or totally reject the idea. But it generally holds that some creatures that now inhabit Earth were somehow originally “seeded” here from cosmic debris.

Octopuses are certainly strange creatures, although by no means the strangest animals that currently live or have ever lived on our planet. (See jellyfish)

But the apparent intelligence of octopuses – including their ability to creatively camouflage themselves from predators – puts them in a fairly unique space.

The Squid, the Octopus' cousin

First, let’s talk about squids and octopuses. Both have the same boneless body dominated by a large head with mesmerizing eyes. While both have eight tentacles, squids have two extra arms to help them eat.

Both squirt an inky substance to create a dark cloud around them while they scurry away from potential predators.

Scientists generally believe the octopus genetically split off from the squid millions of years ago and that all cephalopods – squids, octopuses, nautiluses and cuttlefish – are from the same family of mollusks.

Then there’s the Kraken, a legendary squid-like creature from Northern Europe mythology based on an age-old belief in a “giant” monster squid that could sink ships.

But — in actuality – the so-called “giant” squid is usually no more than 60 feet in length, with most of that being its very long, skinny tentacles.

In general, most squid – and there are about 300 species of them – are usually no more than several feet long and are among the least seen creatures in the ocean.

Scene from "My Octopus Teacher"

One of the reasons octopuses are given a special status among their cephalopod brethren is their apparent high level of intelligence. Check out the 2021 Oscar-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” now playing on Netflix to see some of this on display.

To the uninitiated, they can be perhaps a bit frightening at first, but if you can get to know an octopus and it gets to know you -- as happens in the film -- it can seem almost human, generally friendly and playful after deciding you pose no danger.

So….did octopuses come from somewhere out in space or are they simply a genetic spinoff of the squid?

It’s a very interesting question….