Strange Species Washed Up On Shore

[Keith]

I had some pictures emailed to me from a guy named Peter Timpano. He would like some help identifying the animal. He has described it as a squid with octopus-like webbing. I'm no expert, so I thought i'd post the pictures and get everyones opinions. Enjoy.

 

[monty]

It looks like a pelagic octopus to me, unless it has feeding tentacles. Maybe Tremoctopus? Do you know if it has fins, squid-type clubbed tentacles, or Vampyroteuthis filaments? It doesn't look plausiable as Vampyroteuthis from color and lack of cirri on the arms. Is the picture of the thing in the water maybe the "blanket" from a Tremoctopus? Also, where was this found?

edit: Nesis describes female Tremoctopus violaceus coloration as "Adult females dark blue-purple dorsally and light golden ventrally" which seems to match the pictures well.

compare to http://www.tolweb.org/tremoctopus

 

[sorseress]

Too bad there aren't any pictures that show the entire thing in one picture.

 

[cthulhu77]

I lost my bathing cap.

 

[Keith]

I'll have to email Peter back and ask. I know he's on TONMO, but I don't know how often he gets on. How would you describe Vamp filiments? I'm not fimiliar with them. He did say that the arms were like a squids, but I don't know how he came to that conclusion. Whenever I can get ahold of him i'll give you guys an update.

 

[chrono_war01]

That black dot on that thing strikes me as kinda familiar, like I've seen it on another species before.

 

[OB]

Monty is (as usually almost always with only slight exceptions and then only on rare occasions) right: it is 100% sure a (spent?) female Tremoctopus, 95% sure Tremoctopus violaceus, please note two pores and a purple colouration dorsally, orange yellow ventrally, small eyes, slightly ventro-laterally positioned, the tell tale webbing and shedded "blanket", the tiger striping on arm pair 2.... It is fascinating how this species almost always is the one that pops up as "mystery species" or "unknown phylum", even

Where, indeed, were these pictures taken?

For comparison, please find Vampyroteuthis

 

[cuttlegirl]

It is fascinating how this species almost always is the one that pops up as "mystery species" or "unknown phylum", even

That was a fun thread .

 

[Animal Mother]

Whoa.

 

[Keith]

It was found near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Thanks for the help everyone. I think he was hoping he found something new, but this was still very interesting for me at least.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Tremoctopus indeed; there's a rather entertaining (and sometimes embarrassing) thread discussing this beast here (a mystery beast).

 

[esquid]

ob already started that trip down memory lane

 

[skylight]

Thanks

I apologize for not photographing the two longer arms. It occurred to me after the fact that that might be significant. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly, being in the middle of an air show and the unusual look of the creature. To make things a little worse. I was at one point, being trained as a scientist. So you would think I should know better.

Thank you all for your time helping with identifying this creature. Tremoctopus is the strangest octopus I have seen. In all my years of diving off the coast of Fl. I have never seen anything like this. Wow! In answer to where this picture was taken is Fort Lauderdale, Fl. The date is on the photo.
chrono_war01 asked what the black dot was. If you’re not being sarcastic… it was the eye.
Again, thanks again everybody. I was asking around for 18 mos. Till you ID’d it for me.

 

[skylight]

the reason i said two of the arms were like a squid was 2 of the arms were nearly 6 feet long. in the picture what you cant see is 2 arms go to the sand and then some.

 

[chrono_war01]

I apologize for not photographing the two longer arms. It occurred to me after the fact that that might be significant. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly, being in the middle of an air show and the unusual look of the creature. To make things a little worse. I was at one point, being trained as a scientist. So you would think I should know better.

Thank you all for your time helping with identifying this creature. Tremoctopus is the strangest octopus I have seen. In all my years of diving off the coast of Fl. I have never seen anything like this. Wow! In answer to where this picture was taken is Fort Lauderdale, Fl. The date is on the photo.
chrono_war01 asked what the black dot was. If you’re not being sarcastic… it was the eye.
Again, thanks again everybody. I was asking around for 18 mos. Till you ID’d it for me.

Oh no, I wasn't being sarcastic at all. It just never registered to me that the visible parts of the eyes would decrease to literally dots on the photograph and thought they were some other part of ceph-ish anatomy.