2630) The Blue Ringed Octopus, Republic of Austria (Oesterreich Republik): First Coin in the "Luminous Marine Life Coin Series": A 3 Euro Copper-Alloy Coin features this Underwater Marine invertebrate: Date/Year of Coin issue: 09.11.2022:
THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS:
The blue-ringed Octopus is a brilliant example of how fascinating and colourful the underwater world can be.
One of the most intelligent invertebrates, this amazing animal is not only smart but also highly toxic.
If it feels threatened its rings illuminate several times per second. This is exactly what it does on the first coin in the "Luminous Marine Life Coin Series".
Many octopuses can change their skin colour and even their body shape in a flash.
Special cells in the skin contain pigments with different colour properties, some of which only reflect light in certain colours when it shines on them.
This property is known as "iridescence", which means that different colours appear on a surface depending on the angle of view.
Muscle tension can cause these pigments to contract or expand and so the blue-ringed octopus can change the colour of its skin in certain places.
Another interesting fact about the octopus is that it not only has a central brain in its head, but also has other brains in its eight tentacles.
This enables octopuses to always have everything under control and to adapt very quickly to their environment. This is why octopuses are considered the smartest invertebrates.
Although one of the world’s most venomous marine animals, the blue-ringed octopus can be encountered on bathing beaches in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and therefore comes into contact with humans on a regular basis.
The octopus signals its presence with the rapid flashing of its blue rings and is only dangerous to humans if it bites them, which only occurs if it feels very threatened.
The Coin:
On the Reverse of the 3 Euro Base Metal Coin is depicted A colour-printed blue-ringed octopus.
When the octopus is illuminated with UV light, its blue rings begin to glow and its body changes colour from yellow-brown to green.
In the background swim two peacock angelfish. A wide band, reminiscent of an old-fashioned porthole frames the aquatic scene.
The peripheral inscriptions are - BLAUGERINGELT KRAKE. 2022" ("Blue Ringed Octopus").
As on all the coins in the series, to the left and below the octopus to the right, a shell and a starfish can be seen, and there is a notch on the left edge.
On the Obverse of the 3 Euro Base Metal Coin, all 12 of the magical sea creatures in the "Luminous Marine Life Coin Series are shown in silhouette.
Air bubbles up between them and a tail fin disappears beneath the waves to the right.
The specifications of the Coin are:
Country: Oesterreich Republik ("Republic of Austria"); Date/Year of Coin issue: 09.11.2022; Coin Denomination: 3 Euro; Coin Series Theme: "Luminous Marine Life"; Coin Theme: "The Blue Ringed Octopus"; Metal Composition: (Alloy) Coloured Metal; Coin Quality: Uncirculated (U); Diameter/Size: 34.00 mm; Total Weight: 16.00 grams; Coin Designers: Kathrin Kuntner, Herbert Wähner; Mintage: 65,000 pieces; Edge: Plain; Accessories: UV Torch for special colour effect; Packaging: Comes without packaging
Ockto Octopus:
This is a cute cuddly toy from Steiff who completes the "Luminous Marine Life Underwater Adventure".
With the loyal and loving Ockto by their side, the children can explore the infinite depths of the oceans in great company.
Made of turquoise plush, Ockto has amusing eyes, a laughing mouth and his head maintains its shape thanks to an incorporated granulate bag.
He is great fun to play with as rubber bands in his ringed tentacles make him jump back when pulled and released. And after having his many hands full all day, Ockto can also snuggle and embrace his playmate before going to sleep – with all eight of his arms!
Ockto has the famous Steiff Button of Authenticity (BOA) in its ear, meaning that he is childproof and made from high-quality material.
Co-developed with marine researchers, this Collector album not only stores all 12 coins in the Luminous Marine Life series but is also crammed with fascinating information about the 12 sea creatures that feature on them.
The album explains in detail how they live in and illuminate their aquatic environment and how vital that environment is for our planet as a whole, the threats it faces from humans and shows what can be done about it. It does so in a style that is understandable for youngsters yet entertaining for adults, making it a source of fun for coin collectors of all ages. You will learn, for example, about the ingenious deep-sea angler fish, which uses its very own illuminated fishing rod to lure its unsuspecting prey when hunting.
The album concludes with a quiz where you can have fun testing your newly acquired knowledge of marine biology.
It is only available in German language.
In addition to a dedicated Collector album, Luminous Marine Life also comes with its own special tool for enhancing the visual experience of the 12 coins in the series:
Through UV light, the torch maximises the experience by making the sea creatures on the coins really shine and glow. By shining the torchlight on the coins, the sea creature can be seen to change colour.
One can also use the torch to discover whether 2 of the 12 marine animals on the coins are nothing but dark or are harbouring a bright secret. And the fun does not stop with the coins themselves – illustrations and information are also hidden here and there throughout the album. By examining the pages with the torch, with a bit of luck you may discover them.
UV light is an abbreviation for ultraviolet light, which is also as known ‘black light (UV-A)’. Important instructions on how to use the lamp safely can be found on the back of the torch packaging.
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