A nectopod is a limb that is used for swimming and is common in many different species of marine animals that live in and around the world’s oceans. Nectopods can include fins, paddles, or other specialized limbs that animals have evolved to make them more adapted to life in the water. Animals with nectopods can include fish, lizards, platypuses, dolphins, whales, and sea otters among others.
In the video this baby octopus can be seeing moving about, searching for a place to put its nectopods. Tentacles are a form of a nectopod, which is a noun. The word nectopod first appeared in the Greek language approximately between the years 1895 and 1900. The word nectopod was a combination of the words meaning ‘swim’ and ‘limb.’
Nectopods make it possible for most underwater animals to move around. Underwater mammals, crustaceans, and undersea dwellers make use of some sort of nectopod to propel themselves through the waters of oceans, rivers, and lakes. Nectopods of all varieties can be seen in various underwater creatures, and may take different shapes because of the unique nature of each animal they belong to.
Octopi use their nectopods, or tentacles, to move through the water. They propel themselves and are able to steer using the muscles contained in their nectopods. Other animals such as fish and whales use the same technology except with their fins. Creatures like the platypus utilize paddle-shaped flippers as nectopods to facilitate their quick movement through the water.
