Don’t miss Dubai Aquarium’s new Kraken’s Lair exhibit!

Mysteries of the deep will be revealed to visitors in a new attraction at Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.

27 October 2015

The Kraken’s Lair exhibit opens on October 30 – in time for Halloween – and features octopuses and other cephalopods.

Visitors will get to see a range of species including squid and cuttlefish, which have the ability to disguise themselves, mimic other animals, change shape and colour as well as manipulate their environment to escape predators.

The exhibit features nine cephalopod species that are new to the aquarium.

There will also be a giant squid replica made to scale and bioluminescent lighting and effects to give the lair an eerie atmosphere.

“Cephalopods have some astounding features with some species growing as large as 60ft and weighing more than half a tonne,” said a statement from Dubai Aquarium.

“Guests can learn about octopus and their unique characteristics such as their ability to squirt ink when they feel threatened; the ink dulls the olfactory system of the predators, and the octopus flees to safety.

“If that fails, they can lose an arm to escape a predator’s grasp and re-grow it later with no permanent damage.”

The animals also have three hearts — two of which pump blood through each of the two gills and the third through the body.

“With their ability to smell through each tentacle, octopuses are quick learners that watch and observe another of its species,” said the statement