Octopi

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An octopus is a cephalopod in the order Octopoda. Its closest relatives, the other cephalopods, are squid and cuttlefish. Cephalopods are actually molluscs- meaning they're in a big family that also includes snails and clams. Most molluscs have a shell, but octopi have lost theirs over the course of evolution, so their body is completely soft except for their bird-like beak. You can tell the difference between octopi and squid because octopi have only 8 limbs while squid have 10. Usually squid have a more streamlined shape adapted for swimming through the open ocean, while most octopi are more squat and spend their time crawling along the seafloor, looking for prey like crabs and shrimp.
It makes sense that octopi might inspire mixed feelings in people- their anatomy is very strange to us, with 8 arms, no bones, 3 hearts, and a beak. They're pretty much a head on top of a set of feet. From the old-school Kraken to H.P. Lovecraft, people love to use tentacled marine beasts as inspirations for scary stories. Octopi historically had a reputation as cunning and evil. Wilmon Menard wrote that “When you wrestle and kill an octopus, you're ridding the marine world of a treacherous enemy” in his article that inspired the sport of octopus wrestling. The truth is that octopi try to flee conflict, especially with humans, so the sport which was popular in the 1960s was less wrestling and more yanking on an octopus as it desperately tried to hold on to its rocky home.
Fortunately, popular opinion on octopi seems to have changed from the days of Menard. More and more people look at octopi with respect and wonder, which they merit as intelligent and unique animals. Octopi have around 18,000 neurons in their bodies, making them intelligent enough to navigate mazes, use tools, and play with toys. Their anatomy might be frightening and alien from one perspective, but from another it could be fascinating. Two thirds of their neurons are in their arms, because they have a miniature brain in each arm, allowing it to move somewhat independently of the central brain. The central brain, by the way, is in the shape of a donut.
Octopi have some of the best camouflage abilities in the animal kingdom, with three types of cells that allow them to change the colour of their skin, and even the ability to change their skin texture with tiny muscles! The cutest thing about their camouflage is that it changes in their sleep. Like humans, octopi go through different sleep phases. They are mostly white during the less active phase, but rapidly change colours during their version of REM sleep, as if they're dreaming of camouflaging in different places. (Science has not yet determined whether they actually dream. But it's fun to imagine.)
Interestingly enough, octopi have been able to adapt to climate change and its effects on the ocean thus far. However, they are part of a wider ecological web which is threatened by climate change, and it remains to be seen how rising water temperatures and reduced oxygen levels will affect them long-term.
See this website to learn more.
See this website for a laugh.