Wild Facts

Photo from Wikimedia

Here we are again with a fresh new Wild Fact.  Of course, you know by now that today’s animal will live in the ocean and I am guessing you can narrow this down a little more by reading the title of today’s fact.  That’s right, the California Two-Spot Octopus, which is also known as the Bimac Octopus, lives off the coast of California (among many other places). I know this is shocking but I swear I am telling you the truth.  If you are wondering how to tell if the Octopus you are looking at is actually a Bimac, then look deep into its eyes.  Actually, you just need to look beside their eyes as these particular creatures have blue, circular eye-spots on each side of their head.  Let’s see what else we can learn about these eight legged animals.

The California Two-Spot Octopus actually has a friendly temperament and are quite hardy.  This ultimately makes them the best Octopus to own as a pet.  So if you have ever wanted an octopus or if your dog is just looking for a new playmate then perhaps you should look into the California Tw0-Spot Octopus. If you are thinking about getting one as a pet, you should probably know how big they can get, right?

Photo from Wikimedia

Well, the Bimac Octopus typically has a mantle size of 17.5 cm (7″) but their arms will take this size to 58 cm (23″) so you will need a fairly large aquarium to put them in.  Yes, this means the goldfish bowl will not be suffice.  The California Two-Spot Octopus relies heavily on camouflage or crypsis.  Basically, they will change their colour to blend into their environment.  Seriously, how cool would this little trick be at a party?

California Two-Spot Octopus Fast Fact – If you do consider getting a pet Bimac Octopus then it is important to know that their life-span is fairly short.  They typically only live for about one or two years.  You will know when they are reaching the end of their road as the female will lay her eggs.  If you have a male, well, they will begin to go senile! The thought of a crazy Octopus pet sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

It looks like we have just about made it through another week.  Only one Wild Fact left for the week so make sure you tune in tomorrow to see the last Deep Sea Creature. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Photo from Wikicommons

Has anyone else noticed how fast the week goes when you have the Monday off?  I really can’t believe that it is already Wednesday.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining but it sure is going by quick.  As a special treat to celebrate this fast moving week, we are going to head to the deep depths of the ocean.  Okay, you got me, we were going to the ocean today even if the week was going slow.  I want to take all of you on this ocean adventure to learn about the largest recorded Octopus on our planet.  Interested?  Well, grab your scuba gear and lets go learn about the Seven-Arm Octopus.

As mentioned the Seven-Arm Octopus is said to be the largest octopus species roaming the ocean.  Some folks believe the North Pacific Giant Octopus is capable of growing larger than the 4 meter (12′) long, 75 kg (165 lb) Seven-Arm Octopus that was documented.  Either way, the Seven-Arm Octopus is one huge creature.  This is good since it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to spot them on our scuba trip.

If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering how an octopus, which receives its name from their eight arms, only have seven arms?  Well, this particular species was called the Seven-Arm Octopus since the males modified arm used in egg fertilization (called the hectocotylus) is actually coiled in a sac beneath the right eye.  When you look at how much gelatinous material these creatures possess it is very easy to overlook this eighth arm. As a result, you get the Seven-Arm Octopus, but in reality these guys actually do have the full eight arms.  It is a good thing otherwise they would be known as a Septopus.

Seven-Arm Octopus Fast Fact – The record holding Octopus was caught in 2002 off the coast of New Zealand and weighed 61 kg.  Unfortunately, this was an incomplete specimen and they estimated it to weight 75 kg and measure 4 m long.  Not only was this the biggest octopus ever caught but it was also the first Seven-Arm Octopus species caught in the South Pacific.  I just love it when an Octopuses hard work pays off and they end up making a name for themselves.

That does it for Wednesday’s deep water Wild Fact.  I hope you enjoyed our scuba adventure.

Photo Courtesy of “The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss” by Claire Nouvian

For many of my friends in Canada they are at home right now relaxing and enjoying their Civic Holiday.  Unfortunately in the Yukon we don’t recognize Civic Holiday and instead take August 16th off in honour of Discovery Days.  This was the day the famous Gold Rush started in the Yukon way back in 1896. I wanted to thank everyone who took time out of their busy long weekend to stop by today and learn about the Dumbo Octopus.  Yes, we are heading to the water to learn about an octopus with ears.

Okay, so I may have mislead you in that previous sentence but I wanted to keep you interested.  The Dumbo Octopus doesn’t actually have ears but rather two fins that look like and are situated in the same place as ears. Who knows, maybe our ears started out as fins too!  Okay, I highly doubt that but it is funny to think about. Unfortunately these “ears” don’t let the octopus fly like they did with a certain elephant but they do allow the Dumbo Octopus to be a very proficient swimmer.   This speed can be witnessed as they are escaping a would-be predator.

So we know they have big ears….err, fins, but let’s find out a little more about this special octopus.  For starters the largest dumbo octopus ever recorded was about 2 m (6′) long and only weighed 13 pounds.  Makes you wonder what type of diet they are on to be that tall, yet that skinny.  How is that for the perfect segue into their diet? The Dumbo Octopus are either bottom dwellers or will hover just above the ocean floor where they consume worms, crustaceans, bivalves, and zoo-plankton such as copepods.  Unlike other octopi the Dumbo Octopus will often swallow their prey whole.  Maybe that is how they keep their thin figure.  No matter the reason, after looking at what they eat, I think I am quite happy with my current weight.

Dumbo Octopus Fast Fact – It will be tough to witness the Dumbo Octopus on a typical snorkeling adventure as they are usually found at depths ranging from 400 m to 4800 m (1312 – 15748 feet).

If you want to see first hand why this Octopus is named after the famous Disney Elephant then I suggest checking out this beautifully done video below.  I hope you enjoy the ballet and today’s Wild Fact.  Have a great day!

Throughout my ramblings at Wild Facts I have discussed several adaptations that animals have evolved to respond to predators.  For example we have learned that the hog-nose snake plays dead or that the chickadee changes its song to warn its friends. If you ask me, I think the Mimic Octopus has them all beat.  Don’t get me wrong, I thought the hog-nose snake was fascinating and a  great actor but they have nothing on the mimic octopus.

Like other octopus’ the mimic octopus is an intelligent mollusc with eight arms each with two rows of suction cups. As a side note, the octopus is thought to be the most intelligent invertebrate.  Similarly, most octopus’ are capable of changing their colour but the mimic octopus is able to change its colour, shape and behaviour to act like other animals.  That’s right when a mimic octopus is threatened they will take the form of other animals to scare off the would be predator.  If this were an X-Men movie then the mimic octopus would be like Mystique or some other shape shifter. For example if it were being attacked by a damselfish then the octopus would take the shape of a banded sea snake by changing its colour to black and white, drawing in six of its arms and waving the other two in opposite directions.  You are thinking that this is pretty cool but how does it help the mimic octopus against the damselfish.  Well,  the banded sea snake is one of the main predators of the damselfish.  The incredible thing about all this is the fact that this type of octopus can mimic at least 15 different species of animals depending upon its environment and what predator it is faced with at any given time. So far they have been known to mimic sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, sea shells, giant crabs, stingrays, jellyfish, flounders, sea anemones and mantis shrimp among others.  I guess this just goes to show you that not everything is what it seems.  So be careful the next time you go to pick up a jellyfish because it may just be a mimic octopus!

If you are still curious and would like to see one in action then check out the video in the post below.