The Amazing Octopus
It’s time to give you all an insight into another of our local residents. One that, at this time of year, is very frequently spotted, either squished into a hole or traveling across a reef, looking for its next target. One of the most fascinating creatures you may find is the Octopus. We have an abundance of them here in Manuel Antonio and they are spotted, this time of year, on many of the dives, but they are masters of camouflage and unless you know what you are looking for, you may miss them. With their ability to change color, it may look like a white blob on the reef, or if you’ve annoyed it and got too close, it may be flashing red. Not a good sign and not something we want to see as divers, as we like to interact with everything passively. So, to hopefully inspire you a little more, here are some interesting facts about the octopus.
Octopuses or octopi?
It is an ongoing debate about its official plural name as there are three choices in the world that you may have heard. Octopuses, Octopi, and Octopodes. What team are you on? Well, the correct plural is Octopuses. Octopuses may sound peculiar to some, but this is the preferred plural as stated in the English dictionary. If you want to know why exactly Octopi is not used, then hold onto your hats, here is the official explanation:
While “octopi” has become more popular and used, it’s wrong. This is because the letter “i” as a suffix to indicate a plural noun only applies to words with Latin roots. An example of this is Cactus, or “cacti” for more than one cactus. However, the word octopus has a Greek origin. This means actually, that the proper pluralization in this case would be “Octopodes”.
However, have you heard anyone using that? So, this particular word happens to employ a classic English way of pluralizing, and affixing a simple “es” at the end of octopus. Okay, wipe the sweat off your brow on that one. And Go Team Octopuses.