Octogon - ?O.Mercatoris New octopus!

While we are waiting on photos :roll:, how about a few more details. Where did you buy/get it? Do you know its originating body of water? Roughly what is the mantle (body from behind the eyes to the mantle tip) length compared to the arm length in terms of a AL:ML ratio. Size guesses are usually way off. Most people can determine a ratio better than actual lengths (partially because they change as the octos move and partially because we are not very good at sight measuring). What colors did you see during acclimation? Did you see only smooth skin or notice any bumps on the mantle? How many rows of suckers are on the arms (most we see will have 2 rows)?
 
He came from the centerville aquarium and they said he came from California.His mantle is about an inch or a little less. His arms are about an inch to 2 inches. he mostly seems to be smooth with a few bumps around the eyes. During acclimation he seemed to be light and dark red. I think that is all.
 
Also he only has 2 rows of suckers.(I think.) The centerville aquarium seems to get a lot of this species but the guy also said he sometimes gets o.brieaus and o.mercatoris.
 
hummm, are the O.briareus and O.mercatoris supposed to come from CA too? I am wondering if "coming from California" is referring to the wholesaler rather than the origination of the animal. 2:1 arm to mantle ratio and red coloring with few bumps could easily describe a merc (and would exclude O.briareus at a 1" mantle size and I believe O.joubini has longer arms) but I have no experience with West Coast species. You can scan the List of our Octopuses for 2008 in the stickies at the top of the Journals and Photos forum and look for O. mercatoris links for some comparison pictures.
 
The o.brieaus he said he sometimes got was from Florida. Also I have not seen him out yet so that is why there have not been any pictures yet. I will get some pictures though!:biggrin2:
 
I still have not seen him out of his cave,even after it has been dark for hours. The only time I have seen them other than in acclimation,is when I feed him, and he still only sticks his arms out to get the food. Why is this?
 
Why is this?
Because it is an octopus?

Seriously, dwarf octos are very shy and many never acclimate to humans, however, few accept human company for several weeks. Be patient, try to feed on a regular basis and be sure it gets plenty of non-threatening face time (ie is sees YOU a lot without interaction on your part). It is a good sign that it is accepting food. Once you start to see it waiting for supper, you might try holding the food further away from the den to see if it will come out.
 

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