Octopus vulgaris
Presented by Samira Yera
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What if an animal could rewrite its own genetic instructions while it's alive? Octopuses can alter their RNA in real time, helping them adapt to their environment. Scientists discovered that octopuses have thousands more genes than humans, amazing eyesight, and incredible problem-solving skills. This article explains how studying the octopus genome is helping researchers understand why these creatures are often called the "aliens of the ocean."
https://octopus.org.nz/content/dna-proves-octopuses-are-aliens
Evolutionary History
Evolutionary History
The octopus belongs to the class Cephalopoda, which is a group of marine animals that also includes squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. Scientists believe the ancestors of cephalopods first appeared over 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Period.
One of the biggest evolutionary changes in octopuses was the loss of their external shell, which allowed them to become more flexible and move through small spaces. They also developed large brains, advanced nervous systems, excellent eyesight, and strong problem-solving abilities. Another unique adaptation is their ability to edit their own RNA in real time, helping them adjust to changes in their environment.
The octopus belongs to the order Octopoda, which is divided into two main subgroups: Cirrata and Incirrata. Cirrata includes deep-sea octopuses with small internal shells. Incirrata includes the more common shell-less octopuses found in oceans around the world, such as the giant Pacific octopus and the common octopus. These evolutionary adaptations have made octopuses some of the most intelligent and unique invertebrates on Earth.
MAJOR EVOLUTIONARY STEPS TOWARDS OCTOPUS VULGARIS:
LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor)
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Domain: Eukarya (organisms with complex cells)
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Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
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Phylum: Mollusca (mollusks)
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Class: Cephalopoda (octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, nautiluses)
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Subclass: Coleoidea (cephalopods with reduced or internal shells)
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Superorder: Octopodiformes (octopuses and vampire squid)
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Order: Octopoda (all octopuses)
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Suborder: Incirrina (most modern octopuses)
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Family: Octopodidae
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Genus: Octopus
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Species: Octopus vulgaris (Common Octopus)
This evolutionary tree shows how different animal groups are related. On the left are mollusks, including snails, clams, chitons, and cephalopods. The red box highlights the coleoids, which include octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish. On the right are vertebrates, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
The image shows that octopuses are not closely related to vertebrates and share a common ancestor from hundreds of millions of years ago. Even though they evolved separately, octopuses developed high intelligence, strong problem-solving skills, and excellent vision, similar to some birds and mammals. This is called convergent evolution, when different groups evolve similar traits.
REFERENCES: (needs to be polished)
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/types-of-octopus.htm
https://octopus.org.nz/content/dna-proves-octopuses-are-aliens
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