Eight Armed Bandits

8 Armed Bandits;
A Closer Look at Cephalopods
An Educator’s Guide to the Program
Grades K-5
Program Description: This program explores the class of mollusk known as
cephalopods. Cephalopods are the most intelligent group of mollusk and most of
them lack a shell. The name cephalopod means “head-foot” and contains:
octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. The goal of 8-armed bandits is to teach
students the characteristics, defense mechanisms, and extreme intelligence of
cephalopods.
*Before your class visits the Oklahoma Aquarium*
This guide contains information and activities for you to use both before and after
your visit to the Oklahoma Aquarium. You may want to read stories about
cephalopods and their abilities to the students, present information in class, or
utilize some of the activities from this booklet.
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Table of Contents
8 armed bandits abstract
Educator Information
Vocabulary
Internet resources and books
PASS/OK Science standards
Accompanying Activities
Build Your Own squid (K-5)
How do Squid Defend Themselves? (K-5)
Octopus Arms (K-3)
Octopus Math (pre-K-K)
Camouflage (K-3)
Octopus Puppet (K-3)
Hidden animals (K-1)
Cephalopod color pages (3) (K-5)
Cephalopod Magic (4-5)
Nautilus (4-5)
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8 Armed Bandits; A Closer Look at Cephalopods: Abstract
Cephalopods are a class of mollusk that are highly intelligent and unlike most
other mollusk, they generally lack a shell. There are 85,000 different species of
mollusk; however cephalopods only contain octopi, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.
Cephalopods only live in marine environments. Cephalopods are invertebrates,
meaning they lack a backbone. The largest invertebrate in the world is the colossal
squid. Cephalopods have copper in their blood causing it to be blue-green instead
of the iron containing red color of human blood. Most people do not know that
cephalopods have a beak that they use to crush food, the beak is very similar to a
parrot’s beak. The eyesight of most cephalopods is superior however they are
unable to see in color. Even though cephalopods are color blind they are able to
detect the polarization of light, which enables them to change color in an instant
to match their surroundings. The pupil in cephalopods is w-shaped and when the
eye is almost closed they essentially have two pupils. Even though cephalopods
don’t have taste buds in their mouths they are able to taste sweet, sour and bitter
flavors with their suckers. Suckers on octopus lack teeth while the suckers on squid
have teeth rings. There are giants in the cephalopod world. The giant Pacific
octopus is the largest species of octopus which has an arm span of 14ft. The giant
Pacific octopus is also the longest living cephalopod attaining an age of
approximately four years. The colossal squid is truly a giant reaching a length of
over 33ft and weighing over 1000 pounds. The eye of the colossal squid is the
largest in nature reaching 18” in diameter. The beak of the colossal squid is small
for the overall size of the squid; however it is strong enough to bite through steel
cable. Giant Australian cuttlefish are the smallest of the giants only reaching 3 feet.
Cuttlefish are the only cephalopods that contain a hollow bone. Cuttlebones can
commonly be bought in pet stores, and are used as a source of calcium for birds.
The nautilus is the only living species of cephalopod that have a shell. The shell is
counter shaded providing camouflage for the animal as it travels to shallower
water to hunt. The nautilus is the most primitive cephalopod and its eye sight is
poor. The nautilus has up to 90 tentacles. Ammonites are an extinct species of
cephalopod that were ancient relatives of the nautilus, the body plan of the
nautilus is very similar to the ammonite body plan. Ammonites are a common
fossil. There are over 300 different species of squid and they range in size from
very small to colossal. Some squid like the firefly squid possess the ability to
bioluminescence (glow). A squid’s suckers are different from octopus in the fact
that they contain teeth and are lifted off the arm on a stalk. Squid have 8 arms
and 2 feeding tentacles. There are many unusual cephalopods and one of the
most well known is the dumbo octopus that was named after the Disney Dumbo
movie. Unlike other octopus the dumbo octopus has fins that resemble the
enlarged ears of the Dumbo character. All cephalopods have a very short life span,
which forces them to be highly prolific (having many young). Even though
cephalopods most valuable defense mechanism is camouflage, they use several
other modes to protect themselves like inking, and venom.
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8 Armed Bandits; a Closer Look at Cephalopods:
Educator information
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Cephalopods are the most intelligent mollusk and have been shown to
recognize the person that feeds them.
Cephalopods have 3 hearts, 2 provide oxygen to the gills while the
remaining heart provides oxygen to the rest of the body.
Cephalopods eyesight is superior, allowing them to change color and
texture to match their surroundings.
Sweet, sour, and bitter flavors can be detected with the suckers that run
along the arm.
Giant cephalopods exist however they are rarely seen; the eye of the squid
is the largest in nature.
The Giant Pacific octopus is a species that is housed at the Oklahoma
Aquarium from time to time.
Scars from the colossal squid sucker teeth have been found on whale skin.
Cuttlefish can produce intricate moving patterns on their skin due to their
ability to change color instantly.
The cuttlebone has been used for various things ranging from a polishing
powder to jewelry molds.
The inner shell of the nautilus contains many chambers that allow it to
travel up and down in the water column.
There is a squid dish called calamari, calamari is the Italian word for squid.
The vampire squid live in deep dark water so instead of dark ink it
excretes glowing spheres of mucus to divert predators.
All cephalopods die soon after reproduction.
Cephalopods start out very small and grow very fast.
Cephalopods have chromataphores (colored cells) that are not only
different colors but also iridescent.
Cephalopod ink is made of melanin and is usually brown or black.
As long as a squid beak can fit into a space then so can its entire body.
The siphon of a cephalopod can move in any direction allowing it to jet
away from predators.
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VOCABULARY:
Adaptation - an alteration or adjustment in structure or habits, often hereditary,
by which a species or individual improves its condition in relationship to
environment
Anti-venom- a product used to counteract the affects of a venomous sting or bite
Bioluminescence- A chemical reaction which produces light which is emitted
from a living animal
Camouflage- a method of concealment used in nature that allow animals to
avoid predation
Cephalopod- a class of mollusks known as “head-feet” which includes octopi,
squid, cuttlefish and nautilus
Chromatophores- a colored cell present in cephalopod skin that allow them to
blend in with their surroundings
Invertebrate- an organism that does not have a backbone
Melanin- a pigment found in most animals that is dark brown to black in color
Mollusk- a phylum of animals that lack a spine and usually possess a shell
Phragmacone- the chambered portion of a cephalopod shell
Polarization of light- the ability to detect the length of light produced by
different colors
Psuedomorph- mucus filled with ink that is released from some cephalopods as a
form of escape
Siphuncle- a strand of tissue similar to a straw that runs through the nautilus shell
which allows the animal to ascend and descend within the water column
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RESOURCES:
Internet Resources:
www.tonmo.com
www.thecephalopodpage.org
www.daisyhillcuttlefarm.com
www.cephbase.com
www.tepapa.gov.nz/build-a-squid
www.scholastic.com
www.teachervision.com
www.nationalgeographic.com
BOOKS and References:
Nye, Bill and Saunders, Ian G. (1999) Big Blue Ocean Hyperion Books for
Children
Mather Jennifer A., Anderson Roland C. and Wood James B. (2010)
Octopus The Ocean’s Intelligent Invertebrate A Natural History Timber
Press
Stoffer Ruth (1995) Coral Reef Coloring Book. Dover Publications, Inc.
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PASS STANDARDS MET:
All education programs and their accompanying materials at the Oklahoma
Aquarium will meet several Oklahoma PASS objectives in various disciplines. The
following list is not all inclusive.
SCIENCE
Science Processes and Inquiry
 (grade K) Process Standard
 (grade 1-5) Process Standard
 (grade 1-5) Process Standard
 (grade 1-5) Process Standard
 (grade 1-5) Process Standard
 (grade 4-5) Process Standard
1-Science Processes and Inquiry
1-Observe and Measure
2-Classify
3-Experiment and Inquiry
4- Interpret and communicate
5- Inquiry
Physical Science
 (grade K) Standard 1-Physical Science
 (grade 1-4) Standard 1- Position of Motion and objects
 (grade 5)
Standard 1- Properties of Matter and Energy
Life Science
 (grade
 (grade
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 (grade
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Earth
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K)
1)
2)
3)
Standard
Standard
Standard
Standard
(grade 4)
(grade 5)
2- Life Science
2- Characteristics and Basic Needs of Organisms
2- Life Cycles and Organisms
2- Characteristics and Basic Needs of Organisms
and environments
Standard 3- Characteristics of Organisms
Standard 2- Organisms and Environments
Science
(grade K)
(grade 1)
(grade 2)
(grade 4)
(grade 5)
Standard
Standard
Standard
Standard
Standard
3- Earth Science
3- changes of Earth and Sky
3- Properties and Changes of Earth and Sky
4- Properties of Earth and the Moon
3- Structure of Earth and the Solar System
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OKLAHOMA ACADEMIC SCIENCE STANDARDS MET:
K-6
K-LS1-1
K-ESS3-1
1-LS1-1
1-LS1-2
1-LS3-1
3-LS1-1
3-LS3-1
3-LS3-2
4-LS1-1
4-LS1-2
MS-LS1-3 (6TH)
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Octopus Arms
Assemble this octopus using a
brass fastener. Cut four pairs of
arms from heavy paper.
© Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company
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Monthly Idea Book: June
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Kindergarten: Learning Numbers © Scholastic Teaching Resources
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Octopus
Paper
Bag
Puppet
© Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company
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Monthly Idea Book: June
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