Thursday 13 August 2009

The Mimic Octopus

The mimic octopus, Thaumoctopus mimicus, is a species of octopus that has a strong ability to mimic other creatures. Its normal colouring consists of brown and white stripes or spots. Living in the tropical seas of South East Asia, it was not discovered officially until 1998, off the coast of Sulawesi.

The octopus mimics the physical likeness and movements of more than fifteen different species, including sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, giant crabs, sea shells, stingrays, flounders, jellyfish, sea anemones, and mantis shrimp. It accomplishes this by contorting its body and arms, and changing colour.



(thanks Cora)

3 comment(s):

Mishele said...

that's so totally cool! I saw an hour-long special on TV about octopi and fell in love with them. The Dumbo octopus, for instance, the Pajama octopus, there are all sorts of fascinating, beautiful, and intelligent octopi. I didn't know that cuttlefish were so nearly related to them, either. I really enjoyed this!

Anonymous said...

I agree! These are fascinating and beautiful creatures. Almost like science fiction- as if someone dreamed them up. I'm especially fond of the cuttlefish, which seems like it could be from another dimension!

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