From Your Corner of Washington: Beware the tree octopus!

June 16, 2009

Most of us know about the Northwest legend of Bigfoot (or Sasquatch). But how many of you have heard about the legend of the eight-armed creature that is said to inhabit the woods of the Olympic Peninsula?

Of course, we're talking about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus (Octopus paxarbolis). According to one Web site, you'll find the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus high in the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Pensinsula. Their habitat is on the eastern side of the Olympic Mountains, near Hood Canal. Word has it they spend their early years in the waters of Puget Sound, but then they take to the trees as they mature. They use their eight arms to swing from branch to branch (so shouldn't they be called the "monkey octopi"?) as well as to grab small prey like frogs, rodents and insects. For more info on this amazing species, go here. Next time you're hiking in the Olympic Peninsula or along Hood Canal, keep a close watch for this tentacled creature. What might initially look like a big slug with suckers on its underside might be something much more frightening... (Photo image courtesy of Lyle Zapato)

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