Dec 16, 2009: Octopus Uses Coconut as Shelter

[jinx]

No, I'm good. I used the proper plural for more than one octopus.

Orly?

wiki
The term octopus, pronounced /ˈɒktəpʊs/, is from Greek ὀκτάπους (oktapous), "eight-footed",[29][30] with plural forms: octopuses /ˈɒktəpʊsɪz/, octopi /ˈɒktəpaɪ/, or octopodes /ɒkˈtɒpədiːz/. Currently, octopuses is the most common form in the US as well as the UK; octopodes is rare, and octopi is often objectionable.[31]


The Oxford English Dictionary (2004 update[32]) lists octopuses, octopi and octopodes (in that order); it labels octopodes "rare", and notes that octopi derives from the mistaken assumption that octōpūs is a second declension Latin noun, which it is not. Rather, it is a Latinization of Greek third-declension masculine oktṓpous (ὀκτώπους, 'eight-foot'), plural oktṓpodes (ὀκτώποδες). If the word were native to Latin, it would be octōpēs, plural octōpedes, after the pattern of pēs ('foot'), plural pedēs, analogous to "Centipede"[33]. The actual Latin word for octopus and other similar species is polypus, from Greek polýpous (πολύπους, 'many-foot'); usually the inaccurate plural polypī is used instead of polypodēs.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by jinx

Orly?

I think what you have to do is count the tentacles and convert that to the appropriate prefix. Thus:
One creature = eight tentacles = an octopus
Two creatures = 16 tentacles = a hexadecapus
Three creatures = 24 tentacles = a quadricosopus

You have to check carefully to see if one has lost a tentacle.

If you're talking about the species in general, try a plethorapus.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Balderdash, it's a Squid. :p