On Thursday, August 4 at 10 am PST, swim on over to join Upworthy’s Instagram Live with OctoNation, a nonprofit organization and Facebook group that proudly calls itself “The Largest Octopus Fan Club.”
If you’re a sucker for suckers, then you have found your tribe. Not only does OctoNation have a sticker club and create epic Octo-swag (we’re talking coffee mugs, stickers, sweatshirts…all designed to delight your inner cephalopod-ophile), they also provide amazing videos and resources like Octopedia that educate the world about the many, many different species of octopuses.
For instance, have you ever heard of a Mimic Octopus?
Look out, Meryl Streep! This species should win an Oscar for all the roles it can play. There are 15 known animals the Mimic can transform into, including the flatfish, lionfish, sea snake, brittle stars, sea anemones, jellyfish, stingray, crabs, and the mantis shrimp…just to name a few.
What about a Seven-arm Octopus?
Don’t worry—this species does have eight arms. But that doesn’t make it any less weird. Males of this super rare species grow a mating arm under their right eye, which they use to deliver sperm to a female up to 20 times larger than he is. In a perplexing display of chivalry, he’ll then break off his mating arm so that she can fertilize her eggs. How progressive.
Seriously, just when you think you’ve learned everything there is to know about these fascinating creatures, another new surprising fact emerges from the depths. Luckily, organizations like OctoNation are here to bring the pure wonder of these squishy sea puppies to dry land. And on Aug 4th, viewers won’t only get to geek out, they’ll get to show off their creative side…and perhaps win a special prize.
Chris Adams, OctoNation’s Creative Director, will be hosting a fun drawing class so that everyone can learn how to sketch out an octobuddy of their very own. Adams designs all of Octonation’s artwork, so you know you’ll be in good hands…even if he only has two of them instead of eight. Plus, folks will be able to post their drawings onto Instagram Stories for a chance to win 1 of 5 octopus plushies. I repeat, a squishy octopus plushie could be in your possession. This is not a drill.
Mark your calendars. We hope to see everyone there. Octopuses have captured our imaginations for centuries, and yet there’s still so much to learn and love about them.
