Mimic octopus how much

Even more remarkably, the cephalopod only takes the form of a sea snake when bothered by damselfish—who are preyed on by sea snakes. The need for mimicry as protection may come from when and how the mimic octopus feeds. At night, it hides in a burrow. During mating , the males hold onto the females and use their mating arm, called a hectocotylus, to insert a sperm sac, called a spermatophore, into the main body, or the mantle, of the female.

The male dies a few months after mating and the female dies a short time after laying eggs. The mimic octopus was discovered in off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. All rights reserved. Common Name: Mimic Octopus. Scientific Name: Thaumoctopus mimicus. Diet: Carnivore. Size: Up to 24 inches. Not evaluated. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Unknown. Share Tweet Email. Factors such as the proximity, appetite and environment present may all affect the choice that the mimic makes.

According to some scientific observations this theory was reinforced when a mimic octopus under attack by damselfishes, adopted the appearance of the banded sea snake, a predator of the damselfish. There is a longer list of animals the mimic is said to imitate some of which are less convincing than the above examples and include brittle stars, sea shells, jellyfish, Don King, mantis shrimp, anemones, and giant crabs whom they are said to imitate as an apparent mate, only to attack and eat its would-be lover.

In mating, the male octopus inserts its hectocotylus , a specialised and extended arm, into the female's mantle cavity, where he deposits packets of sperm. Soon after the hectocotylus falls off! The female fertilises, and then carries the eggs in strings while continuing to feed, a feature unusual for octopus. The larvae hatch and shortly thereafter the female dies. The larvae drift as plankton until they mature, when they sink and begin life on the ocean floor. Being a fleshy creature with no bones, no spines and no poison, this makes the mimic octopus a very interesting proposal to anything in the sea with teeth and a stomach.

In the estuarine conditions that mimics favour this may mean fish including small sharks and barracuda. Therefore it is believed that the mimicry is the form of defence that this octopus has evolved. They seem to be restricted to the Indo- Malay archipelago, and are common around Sulawesi. However, while divers have been poking around reefs for years and years, the kind of diving which takes place in their habitat muck , has been a reasonably recent pursuit.

It may be that mimics are more widespread and found in silty estuarine conditions elsewhere, but only time will tell. Their preferred habitat is relatively shallow water normally less than 15 metres deep where there is a sand or silt substrate, so often this means near river mouths or estuaries.

Unlike other reef-dwelling octopuses habitats, there are not hiding places galore within the habitat. Despite this, the mimic forages in daylight which one would expect makes this soft bodied, non venomous creature a prime target for predators. However the mimic clearly thrives in its environment and many believe this boldness is possible only because of its ability to impersonate other venomous creatures.

Very little is really known about the mimic octopus and how their numbers may have fluctuated over time. Given that they often live in marine areas near river mouths, it can be assumed that chemicals released into the water system pose a risk to their numbers in the same way as it would to all marine life in such an area. However there is currently insufficient data on how populations thrive or suffer under different conditions. Dive sites in the Indonesia - Malaysia region, where there are volcanic sand sea beds, are the most likely spots for diving with mimic octopus:.

Want to dive with this creature? Active during the day. Feeds on crustaceans and fishes Ref. Male and female adults usually die shortly after spawning and brooding, respectively. Mating behavior: Males perform various displays to attract potential females for copulation.

During copulation, male grasp the female and inserts the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization usually occurs. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into planktonic stage and live for some time before they grow larger and take up a benthic existence as adults. Human uses FishSource. Tools E-book Field guide. Estimates of some properties based on models Preferred temperature Ref. Price category Ref.