Octopus, The Best Pet Cephalopod? 

Also, I know that the plural of octopus is not octopus, but I didn't know that when we filmed this video. Oh well. Octopoxen. Octopeese. Octopice. It's one of those, right?

If octopuses lived longer, they'd rule the world

My local aquarium had a similar thing happen with the octopus getting out and eating the other fish, and then going back. They thought there was a Bobbitt worm infestation for a long time until the night janitor caught the octopus in the middle of the crime.

Where I used to live in California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium had an issue with power shorting out in a whole section of the building. Turned out that the octopus hated the light above his enclosure and decided to spit water at it until it turned off. This occurred several times.

Are they the right pet for me? No. Are they the right pet for someone else? Maybe. Are they among the cutest, most amazing animals ever? You betcha!

*clint sees an animal* This might be the coolest thing on the entire planet!

What amazes me about that octopus story isn't that it was breaking out to eat - it's that it was breaking out to eat, and then GOING BACK after. They weren't finding it in the other tank, because it was consistently returning to its original tank. Like it was totally chill with living in the enclosure, it just wanted a midnight snacc. That thing was going to a sushi restaurant and then walking home. Octopuses are so smart that it's actually kind of scary.

My boss at the zoo used to work at a small aquarium, and has told a story about their octopus. They had two problems happening at the same time: 1. Rock crabs, in the tank above the octopus, were disappearing. 2. The octopus wasn't eating. They put up a video camera, and turna out everynight the octopus was escaping its tank, eating rock crabs, and returning to its own tank.

They live such short lives but the amount of stimuli they get from touching essentially gives them hundreds of lifetimes worth of enrichment. And there is something beautiful about that.

"Superintelligent muscular silly putty with a marble inside" is my new favorite term for an octopus.

"Modified beetle that they bite with" amazing

"when it comes to handleability, we give humans a 2 out of 8."

Fun fact: The Hawaiians believed that Octopi came from a previous world cycle because of how weird they are

I heard another octopus escapes-to-eat-its-neighbours story; the octopus memorised the security patrols and timed it's eat out escapes so it wouldn't get caught. It was only confirmed to be responsible for the disappearances after they suspected the octopus might be involved somehow and so installed cameras to watch it in the act. 😂

I met a tiny orangeish octopus at the beach as a child. A boy ,with the sweetest smile (my age) ran up to me with the octopus in his hands. I will never forget how tiny and perfect the octopus was. It wrapped its tiny arms around my finger. I remember it like it just happened. Octopus are so awesome!

I want the rat video an almost absurd amount. I have a bunch of rats and they're such good pets. Just make sure to emphasize that they should never be housed alone. That's a bit like keeping a person in solitary confinement in terms of negative psychological effects on the animal.

"My Octopus Teacher" is the nature film that made me really appreciate them.

If I had to own an octopus I’d just be worried about waking up to find it’s transitioned to land, marshalled a cephalopod uprising, and is on the verge of cracking the *theory of everything...* All in one night Their tank must be the pet equivalent of a maximum security prison

Absolutely do a video on rats!!! Octopuses have always been fascinating, but I’ve never really thought it would be a good idea to try to keep one as a pet. Pretty sure I’d find it outside its enclosure building a spacecraft to fly home and that would really just be too much.

I kept my brothers pet octopus while he went on vacation. Now my piano is slimy and my Netflix password has changed!!

Over sharing time! I had struggles with drug addictions in the past, and specifically my jam was psychedelics (LSD, DMT etc) my facination was always "seeing something not of this world" or "experiencing stuff not meant for a human to experience" - all lofty ideas brought on by severe toxication and dehydration from the drugs effect. BUT when I got sober, animals like the octopus and cuttlefish where one of the first "real" things I saw that could compete (and because of my limited creativity for things that are not real) even SURPASS what I had seen while under the influence. So in many ways, octopi and cuttlefish "saved me" by showing me that theres nothing LSD can show me that is more "trippy" than whats already alive on this earth! I should really get a cuttlefish tattoo to commemorate that!

The story that the octopus escaping to eat things in other tanks is incredible for many reasons, but the most amazing thing to me is that it would go back to its tank. Logically, you’d think it would stay in the tank where it found food, but it went back anyways. Why? Did it know it would get “in trouble” and want to avoid arousing suspicion? It seems that might honestly be the case, as it would wait until night time to go on these adventures. Honestly just unbelievable.

“Did you see that sea turtle?” Clint always has the best energy in his videos! 😆

A video about huntsman spiders would be cool. underrated spider

The truly impressive part of that lab story is that the octopus was smart enough to go back to it's own tank. It indicates some understanding that the humans won't be happy if they figure it out.

Can we always admire the escape-ability of the octopus. I’ve heard so many stories of non aquariums or even aquariums having an octopus escape and get real far

The 1 dislike is a jealous cuddlefish.

Nobody: Clint: Would a Kraken be the best pet for you?

I find it very sad that they have such short lifespans. They’re so intelligent and beautiful, charming and peaceful under the best circumstances. They deserve to live longer.

Antisocial alien sea rat is not a string of words I ever thought I'd be hearing together

“Should we make a video about rats we’ve never done that” I was literally thinking they should do a video on rats right before he said this.

I had an octopus once, and I would give a higher score in handleability. Octopuses don't use their beaks, like, ever. Unless you really are scaring them, and completely and repeatedly ignore the very obvious signals they send about them being annoyed, being bitten is basically impossible. I myself was "tasted" many times by my octopus, but he only used his radula to do that. He basically licked me. Ok, well, the tongue of an octopus is abrasive, so he was actively trying to eat my hand, and it did scratch my skin a little bit... but a cat playing with your fingers can do much more damage than that. And even if you were bitten, the only octopuses with a medically significant venom are blu-ringed octopuses. I would say they are much easier to handle than any aquarium fish, as, you know... at least octopuses *can* be handled, while most fish are just there to be watched.

As a young Oregonian in the 1960s school girl I went to an aquarium as a field trip. There was a large pacific-something octopus in a cramped tank with rushing cold water. We could all touch him. I remember seeing his eye and being surprised that he was looking at us. Noticed his cage was really small.

I laughed so hard when he said “we need to keep them occupied!”

That story about the fish poaching happened in my oceanography class. The octopus was opening the tank, going to other tanks, eating the residents, going back to its tank, and closing the top like nothing ever happened. Our teacher only figured out where the fish were going by setting up a camera.

Yes please cover rats! I'm constantly telling people what great pet rats make. Really the best pocket pet in my opinion. It's amazing how smart and teachable they are; I've had rats that could walk on a harness and were litter box trained.

I had an octopus about 10 years ago. It was an amazing escape artist and such a cool animal.

"I've been looking forward to this" -Count Dooku

Are they the right pet for me? No Do I plan on getting a tattoo of an octopus one day? Yes, they are beautiful and amazing

I had a pet blue ringed octopus for a short while. Very interesting pet and made short work of mantis shrimps and crabs. The crabs figured out pretty quickly who their tank mate was and would often turn up at the swimming pool after walking across the yard. The octopus was released when we had to go away for a few weeks for work and went back where we caught her, no doubt with stories to tell the others.

I love the idea of octopus being sapient one day, but they’re gonna have a hard time discovering fire.

How have you not done rats!? Yes, do rats!!! They are great pets!

Ants Canada mentioned you in his newest video about retics 😄

I’ve been waiting for this video for 6 months!!!

On this vein of uncommon sea creatures, I'd love to see a mantis shrimp video!

Is it really 3.4 overall? I thought it will be 2.4, but maybe you gave it an extra point somehow. Love the channel and octopi anyway. :)

Clint, your boundless enthusiasm and personal charm make every video a joy to watch. Thank you for your content!

I don't know if I'm sad or relieved that octopuses didn't evolve to be social. With how we treat the ocean I doubt we'd be on their good side xD

ohhh, how lucky i am to catch this vid a minute after its release! i love octopuses, i'm excited!

I thought pet centipedes were the masters of escape, but perhaps there’s something even better at it. Why do all my favorite animals have these absurd qualities 😂 Newly subscribing by the way, you seem like an incredibly passionate, educated, and most of all nice guy! Love your videos!

I'm loving this Cephalopod series Clint! Keep at it!

Super excited for this one! I've always wanted you to do an episode for them! They've been a dream pet but as I get older, the more I think to myself about the complicated logistics behind keeping one so it got me pessimistic but you doing a video on it is really turning me around :D

Probably the most incredible creature I've ever worked with,And I'd absolutely love to keep one.

Yes!! I hoped you'd do this, these guys are so cool and I love hearing about how intelligent they can be. I didn't know they couldn't see colors, somehow that makes them even cooler.

Hi Clint, you are super fun to watch; you bring your knowledge and charisma within your videos. Thank you for being so delightful

The enthusiasm of this man is infectious I adore this channel You're a delight, sir

Some corrections: 1. Octopodes do have a rudimentary shell (a small "bone"), just like snakes have legs. 2. Octopodes probably DO see in color. Instead of utilizing color-sensitive cells, they use diffraction. Their W-shaped eye causes diffraction of light near the edges and different colors diffract a bit differently, allowing octopodes to see the colors of objects without having any color-sensing cells.

I love this, octopus are 100% my favorite animal. I always wanted to keep one but unfortunately cant. But seeing this video makes me very happy thanks Clint!!

I love that you kept a tab in the left hand corner to explain what part of the video we’re on. This makes it so much easier. Love your content.

You are so smart and such a great teacher, I love how you explain things in anyway that people of all ages can digest and enjoy.

I'm now only calling octopuses "antisocial sea rats"

Octopodes are so whimsical and delightful 😌 one of my very favorite creatures 🐙

Clint, I am SO happy to have had a question about Octopi and stumbled upon your video! You are a Gem my Friend!!! You have an EXCELLENT way of Teaching by sharing your Obvious Love and Curiosity. Please keep being yourself and doing what you love! Thank you for being a great example of the Good that can be shared on RU-vid. Bravo!

I spent a week in Utah a couple years ago and loved it. Visiting y'all and your local aquarium just landed on the "things we have to do when we go back" list.

"super intelligent silly putty" is the greatest description of an octopus I've ever heard.

First! 🐙

Hey, I’m wearing my Loveland Living Planet Aquarium hoodie as I’m watching this! Nice!

Definitely make a video about rats! I had two until recently, and they form such strong bonds with their owners. It's also worth mentioning that if you're going to get male rats, you should make sure they're from the same litter or you might end up with rat battle Royale

Nice little aliens you got footage of there!!

Love the video Clint!

Omg yes, I've been waiting for this for ages! Thanks!

Ok with a notification that cool you seriously can't expect me not to click it immediately xD

The octopus is my all time fav animal! They may not be the best pet but they are one of the coolest living organisms. If they lived any longer I'm convinced they'd have advanced communication and language skills and would quickly become our cephalopod overlords. Which I would rapidly welcome. Also, yes please cover rats. Rats are amazing pets and I'd love to see a video about them! 💓🐀🐙❤️

Your videos never fail to make me smile and give me purpose in life remembering to wonder and admire the world with excitement and i adore your channel, thank you!

Your descriptions of things are pure gold. 😂

I think a video on African Fat Tailed Geckos would awesome! They’re unbelievably adorable looking.

You could make a video on the blue whale being a good pet and I would still be very intrigued. Actually, now I really want to see that happen. What have I done?!?!

I love that your videos have stayed the same but are still so interesting.

Great video as usual! My favorite channel for many reasons

"So it's essentially a modified beetle that they bite with." God this is why I love these videos.

Dang, didn't realize y'all were so local! Love that Arapaima exhibit at the aquarium

I love that you made a video on my favorite animal finally! Haha, love your videos man

Excellent video Clint

Hey this is a great video! I am a grad student in a lab that researches the neuroscience and behavior of nudibranch sea slugs, which are gastropod mollusks, and I have learned a lot about octopus neuroscience research thanks to their shared ancestry in the mollusk family (well, technically phylum). Now I want a pet octopus, although it does feel like taking the first step to becoming a supervillain.

Here in Germany we had an octupus named Paul, he predicted every football Worldchampion- and Europe-Championship match of the german national team with an almost 100% rate IN ADVANCE (win/loss)! They truely are out of this world. Sadly Paul passed away a few years ago

This is so cool thank you so much! I love them so much and this is a beautiful place to film, thank you

This is a really cool aquarium in person! Love Living Planet!

Make a video about rats? Yes, absolutely!!! I always hear that they are wonderful pets, so sweet and full of personality and also very intelligent. I would love to see your take on them. I know it would be a really interesting, as well as funny video. Also thank you, Clint for the fascinating video on octopus. They are one of my favorite marine creatures.

Great video and yes please make a video about rats ive kept them before and found them very intresting pets

Its here ! Its finally here ! Lovin' it

I planned a trip to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium because of these videos and can confirm it is amazing! Definitely go there if around the Salt Lake area

"People are eating people, I don't know..."

Rodent vids would be cool. Especially chinchillas or capybaras

Yes! He finally did a video on my favorite creature on the face of our beautiful planet! All my years perusing through life seeking out things that fascinate me, and I honestly have yet to find anything else as intriguing as octopi. I absolutely love these little fellas! Also, is there anybody on RU-vid with such captivating enthusiasm for amazing critters as Clint? It's almost impossible to find content that's both rewardingly educational and extremely uplifting at the same time. Clint, you are an incredible person, my friend!

I’ve been waiting so long for this episode!!!!

Ah yes, my favourite reptile: The Octopus aka the 8-legged Snake.

I'd love to see a video about rats!

Thank you for the awesome birthday video! I always look forward to your uploads!

you are a truly amazing and inspiring person. Every time i see you upload I know my day will be brightened up a little bit more. all you’re reptiles are insanely interesting. Thanks for sharing all you know with the world. We all appreciate you more than you know it. Have a great day/night, people!!! (Sorry for the bad english lol)

I worked at a pet store years ago. Octopuses were the new popular but ridiculous pet to have. We got some, each one was in a tiny plastic egg like candy comes at Easter. Here is what I consider important to know. THEY ARE ESCAPE ARTISTS!! It was fascinating to see those little Hiudinis at work! The egg wasn't even a slight challenge for them. Getting them out from the salt water filtering system on the other hand..(.or 8 hands if you like) without killing them, was. It was my week to clean all the aquariums... all 60 of them. No sooner had I grabbed 2 slimy lil escape artists and put them back in the tank(I didn't even care about those stupid eggs by then, I'd just plop them back into their "home" and start cleaning again and SLURP I could hear one landing on the floor. I was AMAZED they didn't die on impact. Then I thought about it.... they have no bones to break and they are rubbery.... what ever it was besides being another mystery, the could take a fall of about 3.5 feet without turning into slimy yet adorable Cephalopod (I know that looks wrong but it's right). They are abundant here in Washington state where the record holder 🐙 Giant Northwest octopus hails from. I was certified as a Scuba diver in the mid-80s. You must go through a few tests out in open water. Our instructor knew a great place to take us to become certified. Whitney Island had a beautiful jetty. Down we went about 15 feet and Bud sort of patted the wall of life and OUT POPPED A FREAKING GIANT OCTOOUS!! He/she recognized Bud and the show began! She was all over him, "hugging" him and playing with his mask. You don't want water getting into your mask under water. It's a pain in the butt to get it back to normal. "Shelly" obviously knew this and they started playing Tug-of-war with his mask. He would hug her and she would sit on his head with all of her arms all over him. Mind you now, this is an octopus similar to the one behind Clint but Shelly was a bit larger. Bud named her "Shelly" because when he first met her, she was out of her den and was using shells as her "Costume" to hide from Baracuda. It was an unforgettable moment in time. Sadly, octopus only live a short amount of time anywhere from 2 to 3-ish years. In captivity they do a little better but not much. Bud said Shelly was probably in her 2nd year when he met her. He even had her picture on his desk.☺🐙