Kalypso (O.briareus)

[Nancy]

These are such good photos - what kind of camera are you using now? Kalypso is a better subject now that's she's bigger, too, and she poses with attitude

Too bad all the photos for the book have already been chosen.

Nancy

 

[Animal Mother]

These are such good photos - what kind of camera are you using now? Kalypso is a better subject now that's she's bigger, too, and she poses with attitude

Too bad all the photos for the book have already been chosen.

Nancy

I've been thinking the same thing Nancy. The camera is a Canon Powershot G9. I've been playing with the settings, got some tips off the MAS photography forum.

 

[Animal Mother]

I saw the sea hare yesterday morning before I left for work and haven't seen it since. No telling about that. Might pop up unexpectedly, hopefully not rotting underneath a rock.

Kalypso managed to pull the front cover off of the Koralia 4. She occasionally gets a hankering for some mischief and likes to yank on it and turn it and it usually ends up pointing into the sand. It was funny the first few times. I'm wondering if it's a decorative piece for her lair she has selected and just can't take or just sheer curiosity and/or desire to play because she has learned that it means she will get attention.

I have been offering her my fingers so both of us can gain trust for one another (or at least that's the point). She has snuck up on me several times while my hands are in the tank and actually completely covered my hand from the backside once. The opportunity to bite was there but she hasn't. I've allowed her to climb up if she wanted but she has only gotten as far as her whole mantle just barely out of the water. She could almost peak over the side. She got the webbing of her front arms over the velcro and stopped there. The velcro has been scratching my arms when I mess around in the tank so I know it can't be comfortable for her.

I got a little video of it but it was after she had pulled herself out of the water.

 

[Animal Mother]

Pulled the giant bundle of chaetomorpha out of my refugium to clean and stuck the wad into the tank so as to not lose all the pods. Kalypso was eager to investigate.

 

[dreadhead]

That is a great picture!

 

[corw314]

She's beautiful! And great pics. I like the G series of cameras.

 

[Animal Mother]

She finally did it! She practically LEAPED onto my hand last night. I did NOT see her coming out THAT FAST! Totally caught me by surprise.


Just for size. The tank is 18" high.

 

[DWhatley]

You might try petting Kalypso on the webbing just under the eyes (I think this is actually the "head" of an octo) when she comes up to you. 'Tane has become so "hand" friendly that he swims up and expects petting every night. Now he sort of pulls his arms through my fingers. I really want to get a full video of his nightly human contact. Since his escape he keeps thinking about another adventure. He will bring half of himself out of the water and walk the back wall (I only see him doing this when I am playing with him so I don't think it is a sign of dissatisfaction with the tank). He did come up and tried to come out in the same corner the other night while I was playing with him. It almost seems like he wants to explore my world since he stays below water level when not interacting.

 

[Octavarium]

lmao, I thought Kalypso fell out of the tank for a second, I got scared. Some octopuses are so eager to explore out of the water.

 

[Animal Mother]

She just did it again. She snagged my finger while I was offering a clam and flung herself over the side into my hand. I think it makes me more nervous than it does her. I'm going to start keeping my hand submerged and see if that's all she's after. Hopefully she doesn't climb up my arm. If she had wanted to bite, she could have made it happen quite easily.

Today when I got home and looked into the tank I saw a lot of shed sucker discs blowing around in the tank. When she came out and onto the glass I noticed her two rear legs appear to have enlarged suckers on them. Can anyone give me some literature on this observation?

 

[corw314]

LOL....You sounded so calm! At least you did not scream like Jess did when Inklet got her!

 

[monty]

In some species, males have enlarged suckers on some arms. I'm not sure if this is true in briareus though, and while I've never heard of it in females, there's lots of things I haven't heard of...

 

[Animal Mother]

In some species, males have enlarged suckers on some arms. I'm not sure if this is true in briareus though, and while I've never heard of it in females, there's lots of things I haven't heard of...

Okay that's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't confused.

 

[Nancy]

I suspect she (he) is doing the leaping out for amusement or curiosity, to see what's outside the tank. I don't think its any sort of attack on you, although it must be a little startling.

Several of us have had octopuses that did similar things, but we never took photos (except maybe dhyslop and Mr. Octopus).

Nancy

 

[Animal Mother]

LOL....You sounded so calm! At least you did not scream like Jess did when Inklet got her!

I'm screaming on the inside! My first thought is always "What if she bites me?" then, "What if she slips and lands on the floor?".