NatureExplain Like I'm 5Beginner5.0(1)
The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus, a free nature course on Tomo

The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus

Dive into the mysterious world of the New Zealand Giant Octopus. Learn how these clever eight-armed creatures hunt, hide, and survive in the deep blue waters.

Like Duolingo, but for The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.

54 levels across 4 sections, about 108 minutes end to end, roughly 22 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Meet the Giant Octopus, Body Tricks and Superpowers, Dinner Time in the Deep, and Growing Up and Staying Safe. It starts from scratch.

54 bite-size levelsAbout 5 minutes each

Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Ollie the Octopus, the guide who teaches the Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus course
The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus
with Ollie the Octopus
54
Levels
4
Sections
5
Min/day
What you'll learn

Key ideas in The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus

  • Octopuses possess eight arms and a soft mantle
  • They lack any internal or external skeleton
  • Two-thirds of an octopus's neurons are located in its arms
  • Arms can react to stimuli without direct input from the central brain
  • Invertebrates lack a vertebral column or bony skeleton
  • The beak is the only hard part of the octopus body
  • Enteroctopus zealandicus is a giant octopus species
  • It is adapted specifically to deep-sea benthic environments
  • Jet propulsion relies on muscular mantle contraction
  • Identifying the primary physical features that distinguish the octopus from other sea creatures
  • The siphon directs the flow of water for movement
  • Understanding the function of a distributed nervous system
  • The sequence of movement for an invertebrate without a skeleton
  • Defining the term 'invertebrate' and its impact on movement
  • Identifying the most unique biological trait of Enteroctopus zealandicus
  • The species is endemic to the waters surrounding New Zealand
Why not just Google it

You've tried the other tabs

Wikipedia

Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.

YouTube

You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.

ChatGPT

One answer, then back to scrolling.

Online courses

Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.

Tomo gives The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.

Try a question

Here's what playing it feels like

A real question from this course. Take your best guess.

Wiggly Arms and Squishy Bodies

How many wiggly arms would you find attached to the octopus's squishy mantle?

Get it right to open this lesson and 53 more in the app.

Course map

How to learn The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus, step by step

Go in order. 54 short levels across 4 sections, about 1 hour 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.

  1. 1

    Meet the Giant Octopus

    • What Makes Them Special
    • Where They Live in the Ocean
    • How Big Can They Grow?
    • Looking at Their Eight Arms
  2. 2

    Body Tricks and Superpowers

    • How They Change Color
    • Moving Without Any Bones
    • The Way They Use Ink
    • How They Breathe Underwater
    • Seeing with Big Eyes
    • The Power of Three Hearts
  3. 3

    Dinner Time in the Deep

    • Finding a Tasty Snack
    • How They Use Their Beak
    • Outsmarting Their Prey
  4. 4

    Growing Up and Staying Safe

    • How Baby Octopuses Start Life
    • Finding the Perfect Hiding Spot
    • Avoiding Hungry Sharks
    • Solving Puzzles and Problems
    • Why They Like to Live Alone

4 sections · 18 units · 54 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.

Questions

Questions about The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus

  1. How do I learn The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus?

    Go in order: start with Meet the Giant Octopus, then Body Tricks and Superpowers, then Dinner Time in the Deep, then Growing Up and Staying Safe. On Tomo that's 54 short levels, about 1 hour 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.

  2. Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus?

    Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.

  3. Is The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus free?

    Yes. The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.

  4. How long does it take to learn The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus?

    54 levels across 4 sections, about 1 hour 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.

  5. Do I need any background to start The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus?

    No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.

New

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Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.

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How it's taught

You pick the voice

This course
Explain Like I'm 5

The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.

Start free

Start The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus today.

Download Tomo, search The Secret Life of the New Zealand Octopus, and play your first lesson in under a minute.