Could octopi take over the world?

No. Aside from their obvious aquatic nature, the real problem for octopi (and cephalopods generally) is that they have very limited lifespans, usually no longer than 2 or 3 years. read more

After a male octopus has mated for the first time its own body will, in a remarkable display of post-coital shame, release a special endocrine secretion that will cause it to drop dead within a few weeks. read more

For thousands of years, no one paid much attention to the octopus. It was kind of weird looking, it lived underwater, and until the invention of deep fryers, it wasn't especially tasty. Also, octopuses didn't really attack humans, so they never attracted the same level of attention as sharks or tigers or tiger sharks did. read more