Summary
An octopus tastes and smells the world with its arms. Deep Look reveals how the suckers lining each arm sense chemicals by touch, letting the octopus explore hidden cracks without even looking.
Viewer safety
All ages
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
An octopus's suckers can 'taste by touch.' As its arms reach into dark crevices, the suckers gather chemical information, helping it find food it can't see.
- How does an octopus explore places it can't see into?
- What information do the suckers collect as the arms feel around?
- Why is 'tasting by touch' useful for an animal that hides in cracks?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: sucker, sense, chemical, information.
Try it: Reach into a bag and identify an object by touch alone. Write how touch gave you information your eyes didn't.