Is the Octopus a Human Killer?

The octopus' reputation as a human-killer isn't simply an exaggeration—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter but only of its natural prey clams, mussels, crabs, lobsters and an occasional sick or unwary fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed predator, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even a giant among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to engulf a submarine, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopi, found on the Pacific coast, weigh around 110 pounds and grow to a diameter of no more than ten feet.

The hard, parrot-like beak of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open crabs and lobsters. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. It feeds instead by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A clam or scallop that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to venture close enough to these timid creatures to get a good look at them.