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Strange octopus

teuzzo

Hatchling
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Apr 28, 2009
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During a night dive in Philippines, i filmed a strange octopus.
It was in 1,5 meters of water in sand and rock bottom.
Its size resemble those of the blue ring octopus.
I was very impressed by his behavior.
Compared to the other octopusses, it did not camouflage with the bottom but it relesed a strange skin effect.
Frequently a dark row start from its head and goes down till the front arms like a flash.
I had the impression that he told me: be careful, i am dangerous!
Is it possible that this octopus is poisonous?
Like the blue ring and the flamboyant cuttlefish.

You can see a part of my video here: Octopus strange behavior, Passing cloud display, Octopus Laqueus

Let me now if you know this octopus and if its behavior is known.
 
The display pattern is called the "passing cloud" display. I have seen it in Octopus cyanea, O. bimaculoides, and rarely in O. rubescens. Cuttlefish will also do this (look on youtube for "passing cloud")
There have been paper published on this display, see Apparent movement in a visual display: the ‘passing cloud’ of Octopus cyanea (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) | Journal of Zoology | Cambridge Core . If you can't get to it by that link, let me know.
I really can't say right off the top of my head what species it is. Arm length, frontal white spot placement and body shape make me think that it is in the Octopus vulgaris species complex, or closely related, but I am really just speculating.
 
From this video, I don't think that it's supposed to look like a passing cloud going by overhead. How many clouds actually go that fast? It flashed the line every time it touched down and held still for a moment. It seems like it was trying to make it's outline more indistinct or something.
 
Great video and I am going to watch it several more times. I don't think it is vulgaris though. I am still very novice at learning to observe octos and may be way off base but it seems to me that their is way too much webbing, the pig tail at the end of the mantle seems to suggest that it can do significant crypsis patterning, the white bulge at the end of the mantle may suggest eggs (which would mean it is an adult) and it seems to have the dots common to the macropus and briareus. There is another TONMO member who had an unidentified octo with a similar anemone looking top knot (pig tail) but I will have to hunt for the video to see if there is any other resemblance.

I found the link: Octo-ID

and I believe this may be the same species based on my above comments. The thread has the forum guesses as well as a video of the octopus and some notes on its behavior in the aquarium. Unfortunately, the member - from Germany - did not post much beyond asking for an ID.
 
Brock Fluharty;136499 said:
From this video, I don't think that it's supposed to look like a passing cloud going by overhead. How many clouds actually go that fast? It flashed the line every time it touched down and held still for a moment. It seems like it was trying to make it's outline more indistinct or something.

Passing Cloud Displays are not cryptic in function, as to imitate an overhead cloud. It is actually a deimatic interspecific signal often expressed towards predators and prey.
Absolutely amazing footage.
 
Taollan, could you post the .pdf of that article? The link doesn't work. I'm always on the lookout for cephalopod signaling papers.
Cheers.
 
I would say part of this pattern's function could be to give the illusion of continued movement just after the Octopus stops, making potential predators "overshoot" their aim. The pointy mantle is very Hapalochlaena like.
 
Cuttlefish also use this display towards prey. Possibly to mesmerize the crustacean/fish, to focus their attention on the whole animal instead of the approaching tentacles (and their eminent doom)
 

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