14 DAY TRIAL // Visitors at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve were recently treated to an amazing spectacle. As they were watching the water, they were able to spot an octopus just beneath the surface. So far, so good. What was unexpected, though, was seeing the creature crawl on land, and then walk on it.
Granted, its movements are kind of sloppy, and it does not appear to have very good motion control when outside the water. Its head wobbles from side to side at times, and strikes the ground on occasion. But the octopus can be granted some leave, since it does not have bones to support itself.
Interestingly enough, it is perfectly capable of moving over fairly difficult terrain. The area around the water is covered with leaves and all sorts of smaller debris, yet the creature is able to navigate the obstacles with ease, moving a relatively large distance from its wet home.
After completing this obstacle course to the cheers of the crowd, the octopus moves back towards the water and finally disappears underneath the waves. One cannot stop but think that this is perhaps what the earliest creatures to crawl on land looked like, hundreds of millions of years ago.