Amazing Footage of an Octopus Creating Quicksand to Build a Snug Home For Itself Inside the Ocean Floor

Scientists at the University of Melbourne have recently released a fascinating video of the Southern sand octopus as it used its jets to make the quicksand needed for a snug little home for itself inside the ocean floor, cleverly hidden away from scary predators.

A skilled architect, the octopus can build a mucus-lined home – complete with a chimney –20 centimetres down into the seabed, where it holes up during the day. It only emerges from its underground burrow at night to crawl over the seafloor and snack on small crustaceans.

photo via New Scientist

via New Scientist