Octopus

**Octopi** are available in almost every world after the first, but can't be found in Chaotic or Violent worlds. They are also the only species that can be automatically produced only by machine. They become available for purchase after researching Exploration provided you have at least 20 clams. Their description is "Pay an octopus for their efficient clam retrieval services."

## Career Path

Octopus jobs become available after researching Octopus Methodology. The positions are Octopus Collector and Octopus Scavenger. Collectors collect coral faster than any item besides prosthetic polyps. Scavengers produce sponge as quickly as shrimp workers and are present in worlds that have no shrimp or dolphins to do the work in their place.

50 Clams
 Octopus Scavenger | 1 Octopus
30 Clams
+2 Sponge

## Laboratory Research

There are 3 upgrades that can be researched that are specific to only octopi, 2 generic upgrades that affect octopus income, 2 upgrades to octopus technology. The research listed below is available in every world and has an effect on dolphins and their jobs:

The hunter-gatherer lifestyle will only work so well for us. Maybe we should gather these animals in one place and let them grow.
 Exploration
Swim beyond the home seas to see what can be found!
* Employ octopus
* Octopus Methodology
5K Fish

The following research is available in every world in which lobsters can be found:

Our octopus contacts inform us that sponge is highly useful with a little augmentation. Let's figure this out.
* Forge sponge into spronge
* Spronge Biomimicry (also requires Automation)
2K Sponge
 Spronge Biomimicry
The cephalopod school of thought is that a machine that mimics life is a better machine. We don't understand this so well yet.
* Build clam collector
* Build egg brooder
* Build spronge smelter
* Build prosthetic polyp
 Octopus Methodology
The octopuses claim they know ways to improve their routines and machines.
Egg brooder power x2
Spronge smelter power x2
Sea scourer power x2
Prosthetic polyp power x2
Unlocks
* Reassign octopus as collector
* Reassign octopus as scavenger
* Octal Efficiency
* Industrial Grade Sponge (also requires Thermal Vents)
 Octal Efficiency
The octopuses wish to further enhance their productivity for collective gain.
Egg brooder power x2
Spronge smelter power x2
Sea scourer power x2
Prosthetic polyp power x2
Octopus power x2
Octopus collector power x2
Octopus scavenger power x2
Unlocks Eightfold Optimisation
 Eightfold Optimisation
Enhance productivity. Optimise. Improve. Improve.
Octopus collector power x4
Octopus scavenger power x4
Clam collector power x4
Egg brooder power x4
Spronge smelter power x4
Sea scourer power x4
Prosthetic polyp power x4

## Story

Warning: This section includes speculation, as canon answers don't yet exist.

```
The octopuses speak of production and correct action.
They speak of unity through efficiency.
They regard us with cold, neutral eyes. (Employ 8 octopi)
```

The octopi may, in fact, be robots. They are said to have rational minds that are uncomfortable with more mystical environments like the Gateway. Their machines are designed to mimic living organisms, not an easy feat to accomplish. They have a fixation on efficiency that borders on obsession, with no regard for their impact on the environment. They’re even described as being cold, or favoring cold decision-making. Lastly is the log, which makes several interesting observations. The octopi all seem to repeat the phrase “Find unity in efficiency.” They seem to notice little outside of their work. Collectors and scavengers will “act as instructed”. The most suspicious statement is this: "You could have sworn you saw an octopus among the crowd glinting like metal."

The octopi may or may not be robots, but they certainly think like machines.

## Species List

* plain-body night octopus
* hammer octopus
* southern keeled octopus
* two-spot octopus
* caribbean reef octopus
* southern white-spot octopus
* bigeye octopus
* carolinian octopus
* lesser pacific striped octopus
* chestnut octopus
* big blue octopus
* lilliput longarm octopus
* red-spot night octopus
* bumblebee two-spot octopus
* southern sand octopus
* lobed octopus
* starry night octopus
* atlantic white-spotted octopus
* maori octopus
* mexican four-eyed octopus
* galapagos reef octopus
* ornate octopus
* white-striped octopus
* pale octopus
* japanese pygmy octopus
* long-snouted spinner dolphin
* long-beaked common dolphin
* atlantic white sided dolphin
* atlantic hump-backed dolphin
* atlantic spotted dolphin

## Trivia

The script for the shark game contains the following hidden message from Cirrial:

> the word 'octopus' in english is taken from latin
>
>

> which in turn took it from greek
>
>

> when it was taken from greek and made into latin it kept the original plural
>
>

> now the word is taken from latin and maybe we should take the original plural but
>
>

> look basically the point is this is a long and storied word
>
>

> and the english plural system should apply because we're talking about octopus, not ὀκτώπους, so just
>
>

> why are you reading this
>
>

This is why the plural of octopus in this game is always written as 'octopuses' instead of 'octopi'. The word ὀκτώπους comes from ancient Greek, and translated literally means "eight-footed". However, the word 'octopus' wasn't used to refer to the animal until the 18th century. The plural form 'octopi' came about as a Latin translation, where the plural of any second-declension noun ending in -us is -i. This may or may not be correct, considering that the word was coined well after Latin fell out of conversational use. Some feel that the proper plural is actually 'octopodes', but Webster's dictionary lists both 'octopuses' and 'octopi' as acceptable plurals.

1. ↑ Artifacts#Octopus Migrator
2. ↑ Laboratory#Spronge Biomimicry
3. ↑ Laboratory# Eightfold Optimisation
4. ↑ Artifacts#Totem of Octopus
5. ↑ Artifacts#Totem of Industry
6. ↑ Wiktionary: ὀκτώπους
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Online Etymology Dictionary: Octopus
8. ↑ Latin Nouns: Second Declension