The Olympic National Forest was considered a popular area for the tree octopus.
The Pacific Northwest Arboreal Octopus or Octopus paxarbolis is a rare arboreal cephalopod with a range that extends from California to British Columbia, with a concentration in the Olympic National Forest. The popularization of the cause of this animal has led several people to press for its inclusion in the List of endangered species; Unfortunately, since the tree octopus is actually an Internet hoax, these attempts have been unsuccessful.
Bald eagles have been reported to be the main predator of the octopus.
The invention of the hoax is attributed to Lyle Zapato, who began publishing about the octopus in 1998, providing images of alleged sightings along with general information about the habits and habitat of the Pacific Northwest tree octopus. Lyle’s prank was so well constructed that many people fell for it at the time and continue to do so, and the prank even inspired the term “tree octopus problem” to refer to Internet literacy problems.
Logging has been blamed for the decline in the tree octopus population.
Zapato’s website includes detailed information on the animal’s habits, habitat and lifestyle. Visitors discover that tree octopuses spawn in the water and that the animals are extremely shy. They supposedly move through the trees using a technique known as a tentacle and eat a varied diet that can include small animals and birds. The average octopus is about 13 inches long, and like their aquatic counterparts, tree octopuses can camouflage themselves to blend in with their surroundings.
The internet octopus hoax has been used as a teaching exercise for teachers to help students learn how to assess the validity of information on a website.
The main predators of the arboreal octopus, according to Zapato, are the Sasquatch and bald eagles. Animals were also subject to habitat pressures as a result of pollution, logging, and other human activities, notably the extensive harvesting of octopuses from trees to decorate fashionable women’s hats in the 1920s. blamed invasive species like feral cats. population decline.
The well-constructed octopus information site was used in a series of classroom exercises for students to learn how to critically evaluate Internet sites and in studies to test Internet knowledge. Surprisingly, many students and study subjects believed the Tree Octopus website to be genuine, even recommending the website to others and writing to representatives requesting support for the Tree Octopus. The acceptance of the site as credible and valid has been used as an illustration of the problems faced by Internet users. Critical thinking skills and the ability to evaluate presented material as factual are important for people who use the Internet to gather information.