In the depths of the ocean, I, the elusive creature, navigate a world of wonders and dangers. They call me Dumbo and claim that I am very active. Moreover, they even have this written in their books: that I am smart enough to open a jar containing food.
Students are required to learn about me every time they read about Kingdom Animalia. They read about me under the heading of Phylum Mollusca, as an example of the Class Cephalopoda.
No doubt, I manoeuvre through the ocean with cunning precision; yet the notion of being “bilaterally symmetrical” perplexes me, as I ponder what it truly means for my anatomy and existence.
Well, I don’t even care. That is what humans always do: they discover various phenomena, laws and facts, and then give them different names. It is not done only to my octopus friends, but to almost every species in the world. Discoveries mean a lot to humans; however, sadly, applying what they discover to protect and respect nature is not always that important to them.
However, I pretty much understand why they say that I bear a reduced shell. I have a smart sense of how to utilise my reduced shell; though because of this ‘reduced’ one, I must tell you about more of my adaptations and fascinating features for tricking my enemies and distracting all those who plan to have a ‘Dumbo’ meal.
On top of that, I am the deepest-living octopus, they say. The sun keeps itself aloof from me. I barely receive any light at my location in the ocean. At this depth, I have to survive with limited food resources and cold temperatures.
However, the ocean is diverse and many animals surround me. I meet many of my friends every day and even interact with other kinds of creatures. I am surprised every time I see them; it forces me to praise the Creator whenever I witness the diversity around me. Colourful, stunning, weird, dangerous, threatening, cute, lovely, friendly, social, comical, clever and whatnot — every species is just one of a kind.
That being said, living one’s whole life in such a place is hazardous. Sleeping at night is a danger and a threat I prepare myself for every day. I cannot live without water, and that thought bothers me numerous times. I wish to sleep with amazing dreams like humans — outside the water, under the shade.
At times, my enemies, the predators of octopuses, come in search of their food and reach the place where I am enjoying my me-time. I feel like attacking them when they invade my space. I remember a time when a shark came to my spot, and then another one, after getting a signal from the first, came rushing in. They got into a fight with each other for some reason, and my mind only recorded the shouts of my predators. I could smell death in their screams and furious cries.
Thank God, I have been given features for adaptations to this habitat — a furious, large, endless ocean. I can change my colour and secure myself through camouflage. I can even go inside a shell and hide within it by closing it with my tentacles. This is mainly because I have a little brain in each of my tentacles.
Have you ever found an organism with such a feature? I can even squirt clouds of ink into the water and use this ink cloud as camouflage; after releasing the ink, I retreat into it where the predator cannot see me.
Coming back to the incident, I was surrounded by brown and dark black rocks. My brain sent a message to my body to change its colour. I could see my tentacles turning into brownish and blackish shades, and the sharks, after struggling to locate me, had to turn back with empty, grumbling bellies.
See how smart I am, how beautifully I am created? I wish they could see victorious smile on my face.
Furthermore, many humans often come to discover objects on the ocean bed and marine species. They are lucky to visit and return safely without being harmed. If I were the blue-ringed octopus, they would surely be killed by my venom.
Besides this, I have also come across many ships entering and sinking into the deepest parts of the ocean, with passengers lost in the middle of nowhere. I do not know whether humans lack the expertise to operate such machines or if it is their fate to fall prey to such accidents.
Besides this, I wonder why humans spoil our habitat. They build industries and factories near us, and all the filthy and poisonous waste material spills into our homes, destroying both the beauty of our habitat and our lives. That is not fair. You people should think of other ways to succeed and progress. I wish you could feel our pain and misery. I would express it all if I ever got a one-on-one chat with a human.
That said, this was all I could share as a glimpse of what it is like to be an octopus. At last, I would like to say: in the silent depths, every creature tells a story, if only we choose to listen.
Published in Dawn, Young World, February 28th, 2026
