Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus- Endangered Species or Dangerous Information?
In the age of climate crisis, the repercussions of decades of human recklessness are making themselves known. Polar icecaps are melting, temperatures are rising, natural disasters are increasing, and many species of animals are either missing homes or in dangerous peril. Among the list of those in danger of going extinct is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus- or at least that is the claim being made by Zapato Productions on their official website pleading for the rare octopus to be added to the Endangered Species List, https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/. The webpage contains countless articles and very realistic facts about the species, such as region, average body size, mating patterns, and more, which makes the reader more concerned and sympathetic towards the creatures and overall emotionally involved in their wellbeing. Since 1998, this website has served to raise awareness and concern for this mostly unknown, beloved creature of both land and sea- which, unbeknownst to its readers, is resoundingly fictional.
This webpage, which is very thoroughly set up, contains many images and links to supposed sightings of the animals in question. Due to the thorough and all-inclusive nature of the website, it seems credible at first glance, despite the incredulous claim it is founded upon. The images it contains appear to be very high-quality, serving as visual evidence present for the purpose of both easing the reader’s skepticism and putting an adorable face to the cause, invoking pathos. Even more convincing, the website is continually being updated with new articles, some as recent as earlier this year, discussing different cephalopods and the news concerning them. These articles are posted by known credible sites, such as the article “World’s Deepest Octopus Captured on Camera”, which was published by the BBC.
In order to get to the bottom of this claim, a simple Google search provides information which could potentially be dismaying to any newfound fans of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus- that it is a fictional creature created by Lyle Zapato in 1998 (Wikipedia). Furthermore, a Snopes article was published in 2014 regarding the site, concurring that the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is indeed fictional. However, Snopes brings up a relevant matter in its dissection of this gripping hoax- that the website which broadcasts it and the sister sites which were composed simply to be accompanying evidence are so convincing, it is often used for Internet literacy tests and making students realize how easy it is to falsify information on the internet.
Modern technology and the ease with which information can be spread thanks to the broad reaches of the internet have created a nearly impossible to traverse battleground of false articles and misleading causes. Even when there appears to be an abundance of evidence and support for the claim being made, it is not sufficient to examine the links provided by the one who is originally making the claim. Investigation and an attempt to discover unrelated, credible resources discussing the same topic is a much more reliable way of testing the truth of information discovered on the internet.
Works Cited:
Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. “Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Aug. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus.
Staff, Snopes, and Snopes Staff. “FACT CHECK: Is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Endangered?” Snopes.com, 16 Oct. 2014, www.snopes.com/fact-check/tree-octopus/.
Zapato, Lyle. “Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, 1998, zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/.
