Octopus loves his Mr. Potato Head

Louis the octopus has a favorite toy -a Mr. Potato Head! Louis is an 18-month-old giant Pacific octopus at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium in Cornwall, England.

"We wanted an octopus-friendly toy which had a compartment to hide food in," said the aquarium's Matt Slater.

He says Louis gets very excited when sees the toy, which he plays with for an hour at a time.

"Its bright colours, strange shape and moveable parts make it fascinating for Louis," said Mr Slater.

The giant Pacific octopus is the largest octopus species, with a world record length of 33 feet. Young Louis is about six feet long, stretched out. Link -via Reddit

That third eyelid is called a haw or a nictitating membrane. Most animals have it--on birds, it's pretty much the only one they use to blink with, and the main lids are only closed for sleeping.

Here's a cool factoid, too: when doing what they do best, woodpeckers tighten their third eyelids over their eyeballs right before they slam their beak into the wood. Otherwise, the sheer force of impact would pop their eyes out of their sockets.

--TwoDragons