Octopuses are among the most incredible and mysterious animals on Earth. An octopus has eight arms. Each arm has many suckers. The suckers help the octopus hold things, open shells and sense objects. Their bodies do not have bones, so they are invertebrates. They are masters of camouflage. They can change their colours, shapes, and textures to hide in their surroundings, such as rocks, plants, or corals. Octopuses eat fish, like anchovies, crustaceans like crabs, and molluscs like clams and mussels. They live all over the world. In Chile, the Patagonian red octopus lives from the Los Lagos Region to the Magallanes Region. It can weigh 4 kilos, and it can be 1 metre long.
Reading in action
Reading in action
The Southern Animals book from the Reading in Action series includes information about 11 animals who live in the Americas, especially in the Chilean Patagonia. Most of these species are endangered; therefore, the book promotes the respect for biodiversity and the environment. It contains activities that address the different phases of the CORI model, including group projects which allow students to communicate what they have learnt to the class.
The Octopus
The blue whale
The blue whale is a marine mammal. It is the largest animal on earth. It is about 30 metres long, and it weighs about 100 tonnes. They eat about 4 tonnes of krill every day. Their tongue can weigh the same as an elephant, and their heart weighs the same as a car. In Chile, whales live in the Los Rios, Los Lagos and Aysén regions. Blue whales live in all the oceans except the Arctic. In summer, they feed in polar waters, and in winter, they migrate towards the Equator. They can swim at a speed of about 32 kilometres per hour. Blue whales make very loud sounds. They can hear each other even when they are 1,600 kilometres apart, for example, from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas.
The name for a baby blue whale is ‘calf’ (‘calves’ in plural). When a calf is born, it weighs about 3 tonnes, and it is 8 metres long. The life of a blue whale can extend to about 90 years.
The Southern Pudu
There are two types of South American species called pudu: the northern pudu, found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Perú, and the southern pudu, found in the south of Chile and the west of Argentina. The pudu is the smallest type of deer and one of the cutest animals in the world. It is about 40 cms tall, and it weighs about 12 kilograms.
Their fur changes colours, depending on the season. It is red in warmer months and dark brown in cold months. Pudus have hollow hair (like polar bears). It traps air. This helps them stay warm in winter, and it also helps them float in water. Fawns have three rows of spots that last for two months. Only male pudus grow antlers. They appear in July and fall off in November every year.
They eat leaves from ferns, trees, vines, herbs, and shrubs.