Mimic Octopus

[m_dez]

There is a Mimic Octopus at Octopuss Gardens in San Diego, CA. Price tag is $500.00, their is only two in the US alone. See the link.


"Wonderpuss" the Octopus

Mimic Octopus at OG

 

[Andrej]

Hi ,
Im give links to photos of mimic octopus:

For good picture:
http://www.cybereef.com/Eyes/octo.htm
Mimic Octopus in Lembeh Strait

Try to go : www.marinebio.org

 

[cthulhu77]

LOL..."two in the country" ???? They have to be joking, right??? There are more than that for sale in Phoenix !

Still, this is a species I feel should NOT be imported at this time...too much in unknown about mimics and wonderpus (why were they lumped together in the description???) for us to warrant yanking them out of their habitat...let the pro's at the research institutes handle them for now !

greg

 

[Neogonodactylus]

Wonderpus

First of all, as I'm sure most people on this forum know, wonderpus and the mimic are not the same species. Wonderpus is more common and for some reason is showing up in the US with increasing frequency. I've seen several in the Bay Area in the past few months. Perhaps the occasional sale of an animal for $500 is fueling the frenzy. These are short-lived animals that are fairly difficult to keep. They require fairly specific housing conditions and it would be best if people would leave them alone. If you really want to see one, take a trip to Lembeh or watch a video.

 

[mucktopus]

I agree, Neogonodactylus. I'm not sure about the relative abundances of Wunderpus and Mimic - both are rare and hard to find, but perhaps since the behavior of Wunderpus is more predictable in the wild, they show up more often in the trade. This does not bode well for their future.

If you see one for sale, and feel (as we do) that these animals should not be sold, then talk with the supplier about this. Let him/her know that you will not buy the animal because it might put their populations at risk, and that you hope not to see one in that shop/website again.

The wild-caught octopus trade in the Indo-Pacific remains relatively unchecked. We should have the same concerns about all wild-caughts, not just Mimic and Wunderpus. The removal of one O.aculeatus male can disrupt their entire local mating system and we don't know what effect this can have on female fertility. Females are rare, and collectors do not sex them and let them go. O.bocki live deep in rocks and coral, and are likely collected with cyanide. Some may not be, but at this point we don't know. Bottom line- buy a bimac.