Blanket octopus in Palm Beach, Florida, USA

© Steven Kovacs/Minden Picture

An underwater rainbow

This stunning sea creature gliding through the ocean off Florida’s coast in the USA is a rarely spotted blanket octopus. It gets its name from the sheets of webbing that stretch between the arms of the female, like the one pictured here. When threatened, it stretches out its arms, creating a blanket-like silhouette to intimidate would-be attackers. Another point of interest: The males are tiny – just a few centimetres long, while females can reach 6ft in length.

This is just one of the roughly 300-known species of octopus that we’re celebrating on World Octopus Day. These underwater animals are some of the world's oldest creatures, with fossils dating back more than 300 million years, which means they predate dinosaurs. Plus, they have three hearts, excellent sight and are highly intelligent. What’s not to love?