Bitter Grounds Magazine

stamps, espresso & conversation

So, you like cephalopods – an octopus stamp

Written by catpaw
April 07, 2021

In honour of octopuses around the world – I give you the best octopus stamp … ever. With a bonus squid thrown in. 

French Antartica Giant Octopus stamps

I’ve been saving this beauty for a special occasion. It’s a work of art, plus it’s about octopus. GIANT octopus. What a topic. The special occasion turned into 2 events – World Ocean Day (June 8) & World Octopus day (October 8). Can’t think of a better stamp to honour both. 

World Ocean Day (#WorldOceansDay) was established to encourage all of us to “celebrate and take action for our shared ocean, which connects us all.” The initiative is geared towards making everyone aware of how crucial the oceans are and how we can take steps to protect them. 

Get together with your family, community, and /or your company, and join with millions of others around our blue planet to start creating a better future.

By working together, we can — and will — protect and restore our shared ocean. Join this growing global celebration in June and continue to grow the engagement year-round!
World Ocean Day

They have a great planning toolkit to help kickstart your efforts if you’re interested 2021 Event Planning Toolkit – World Ocean Day for June 8, 2021.

The souvenir sheet above was issued in 2020 by TAAF (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises). It’s the work of French designer Pierre Albuisson, who is also listed as Stone Albuisson on some sites. This name shift caused me a lot of confusion so if I’m wrong, let me know. It took a bit of searching but I figure Stone Albuisson is indeed Pierre after I found an article on the French post office that shifted between both names.

Albuisson has over 90 stamps in his portfolio, each one as beautiful as the octopus. Check out his site Pierre Albuisson – Artiste Dessinateur – Maître Graveur (pierre-albuisson.com). You might recognise his previous stamps because his engraving work is distinctive.  Previous works include this 2005 TAAF sheet:

2005 TAAF souvenir sheet

From octopus stamps to World Octopus Day Oct. 8, 2021

To celebrate both events here are some fast facts about my favourite soft bodied cephalopods: 

  • There are over 250 octopus species, which means 2000 + tentacles to account for.
  • Each tentacle has its own “mini brain”. An octopus’ brain is decentralised so each tentacle can operate independently.
  • Octopus have 3 hearts. Dr Who has two, which proves octopus are superior. Ok, I added that last bit, it’s not an official fact.
  • Two hearts pump blood to the gills and the third one pumps blood throughout the rest of the body.
  • Their blood is blue because of the high copper protein, called hemocyanin, in their blood. So, they are the true blue bloods of the world. All hail our great octopus overlords.
  • The blue blood helps octopus adapt to extreme temperatures and depths.
  • The correct plural is indeed octopuses according to the Oxford dictionary. 
  • Octopuses are masters of camouflage.
  • Largest octopus ever recorded was the giant Pacific octopus 30 feet across & weighed over 600 pounds.
  • Smallest is about 1” and weights around 1 gram
  • Octopus can regrow their arms. Ok, Dr Who did that in an episode, but he had the help from the Tardis to do so.
  • They can be found as deep as 13,000 feet. That’s 2.46 miles below sea level. 
  • Some octopus can reach speeds of 40km/h
  • This little fact stunned me. Octopus can suffocate in their own ink. Which is why they tend to squirt and shoot away so quickly.
  • Ink serves two purposes. Distract so they can escape and disorient so they can attack.
  • One species of octopus doesn’t have ink sacs. The Dumbo octopus lives so deep in the ocean, there are few enemies to worry about
  • No, I didn’t make up the name Dumbo octopus
  • blue-ringed octopus are the most venomous creature in the ocean. Of course, they can be found in Australian waters where everything is trying to kill humans.
  • Octopus are smart. REALLY SMART. They are known to be troublesome to aquarium keepers when they get bored. Check out Octolabs videos to see how smart they are Octopus Intelligence Experiment Takes an Unexpected Turn – YouTube

Amazing creatures. I’ll be posting more cephalopod stamps later in the year. 2021 has turned into a good year for marine life on stamps and there are a few dynamite ones I want to share with you. In the meantime, enjoy Albuisson skilled designs and let me know what you think of them. 

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Need another stamp fix? Take a look at Namibia’s wildlife stamps Namibian 2021 stamps – big rewards | Bitter Grounds Magazine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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