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Octopus on Ocean Floor

This colorful octopus species was photographed by NOAA researchers in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary located off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. Octopi are members of a class of animals known as cephalopods, which also includes squid and cuttlefish. They have eight arms with a mouth at the center. The mouth has a hard beak used for cracking the shells of crabs and other crustaceans. They are soft bodied animals with no internal or external skeleton. They are among the most intellinent members of the molusks.