| Octopuses have been observed "walking" on two tentacles as part of a strategy to avoid predators, it was revealed yesterday. They extend each limb in turn, rolling it under their body like a tank track. Meanwhile the creatures' other tentacles are free to use as part of a disguise. Scientists think the strategy was developed to allow a quick escape while remaining camouflaged. The trick has been seen in two species. In one case, a coconut octopus from Indonesia was seen running backwards on two limbs at five and a half inches per second. With another six tentacles wrapped around its body, the creature resembled a fleeing coconut. The other species, octopus aculeatus, commonly coils and raises its two front arms to resemble algae. It was filmed scooting along the sea floor on two legs off Australia's Great Barrier Reef. "It seemed like it was walking on little conveyor belts," reported Crissy Huffard, a researcher from the University of California at Berkeley, in the journal Science. |