How Do Octopi Protect Themselves?

Octopi live in dens, spaces under rocks, crevices on the sea floor, or holes they dig under large rocks. Octopi pile rocks to block the front of their den. The den protects them from predators (like moray eels) and provides a place to lay eggs and care for them. A mother octopus doesn't eat during the entire 1 to 2 months she is caring for her eggs. 

To escape predators, octopi can squirt black ink into the water, allowing the octopus to escape. 

Another defense that octopi have is changing their skin color to blend into the background, camouflaging themselves. 

The octopus swims by spewing water from its body, a type of jet propulsion.

Here is a picture of an octupus squirting ink: