| COMMON NAME: | Dumbo octopus | |
| SCIENTIFIC NAME: | Grimpoteuthis spp. | |
| Type | Invertebrates |
This article is about dumbo octopus. Grimpoteuthis is a group of about a dozen species of octopuses. They are called “Dumbo octopuses” because they have two large fins that stick out like ears, one on each side of the mantle.
When you consider that the average octopus is only about eight inches long, has short arms, and a bell-shaped body. Moreover, it has pale skin, and likes to hang out near the seafloor. This cephalopod is the cutest octopus in the world.
Habitat
Dumbo octopuses live in the open ocean at depths of at least 13,100 feet (4000 m) and maybe even deeper. This makes them the deepest living octopuses we know of. To live at these extreme depths, you have to be able to handle very cold water and no sunlight at all.
Dumbo octopuses are rare by nature, and the deep sea is very big. Because of this, these species possess special ways to make it more likely that they can have babies when they find a mate.
Breeding Of Dumbo Octopus
It seems that females always have eggs that are in different stages of development, and they can keep sperm for a long time after mating with a male. Because of these benefits, female dumbo octopuses can move sperm to their most eggs whenever the environment is right for reproduction.
Even though dumbo octopuses spend most of their lives hanging above the seafloor, they attach their eggs to rocks or other hard surfaces on the seafloor. Dumbo octopuses move by slowly flapping their fins, which look like ears and steer with their arms.
Predators
They hunt for food and eat pelagic invertebrates that swim above the bottom of the ocean. Dumbo octopuses mostly become prey of diving fish and marine mammals like tunas, sharks, and dolphins. This is because there aren’t many big predators in the deep sea.
Because they like to live deep in the ocean, fishing nets rarely catch them, and they probably aren’t in danger from humans.
Deepest Known Octopus
Dumbo octopuses live up to 13,000 feet below the surface of the oceans all over the world. They are the deepest living octopuses we know of. They eat snails, worms, and other animals they find on the ocean floor.
Moreover, they are “cirrate” octopuses, which belong to a group of deep-sea octopuses with cirri that stick out from their suckers. We don’t know what cirri do, but we think it has something to do with feeding.
They move through the water by flapping their strong fins. Furthermore, they don’t use jet propulsion, which is when other octopuses force water out of their syphons. They can swim better because of the webs between their arms.
The Basics About Dumbo Octopus
The common name for a group of octopuses that live in the deepest parts of the ocean is “Dumbo Octopus.” Most species of dumbo octopus live at an average depth of 13,100 feet (4,000 m), but some have been found as deep as 23,000 feet (7,000 m)! Because they live in such a deep hole, dumbo octopuses has some exciting ways to survive.
First, the dumbo octopus is easy to recognize because it has fins that look like ears near its eyes. These fins help the octopus steer as it swims through the abyss. These fins look a lot like the ears of Dumbo, the famous animated elephant from Disney. Second, dumbo octopuses no longer have ink sacs at all. Scientists think that the dumbo octopus has very few natural predators because most octopuses use their ink sacs to protect themselves from predators.
The dumbo octopus hunts crustaceans, worms, and other animals that live in the deep, dark ocean. The dumbo octopus belongs to the family of umbrella octopuses called Opisthoteuthidae. It has skin between its arms that it can use to make a net around its prey. This lets the dumbo octopus catch giant prey!
Fun Facts About Dumbo Octopus!
Let’s talk about some cool dumbo octopus facts. The dumbo octopus is not just an animal that looks funny. In fact, there is a lot we can learn about biology and evolution from the octopus.
Unused Dumbo Octopus Adaptations
Surprisingly, none of the species of dumbo octopus that have been found have a working ink sac. This is very strange because most octopuses, dumbo squid, and squids have ink sacs. In fact, it is one of the things that makes up the whole class Cephalopoda. So, the fact that the ink sac doesn’t work makes me wonder: Where did it go?
Evolution is a process that favours living things that use their energy in the most efficient ways. Most cephalopods can’t live without their ink sacs because they help them confuse and hide from predators. Most cephalopods would be much easier for sharks, whales, and big fish to eat if they didn’t have the ink sac.
The logic
But there aren’t many big predators in the ocean’s depths. Part of the reason is that there isn’t much food at profound depths. So, if there weren’t many sharks, whales, or big fish, the dumbo octopus wouldn’t have to use its ink sac to get away from predators very often. It would be a waste of energy for the dumbo octopus to keep its ink sac since it takes energy to grow, keep up, and fill it with ink.
A long time ago, an octopus lost its ink sac and was able to have more babies than its relatives who still had ink sacs. This was among excellent dumbo octopus adaptations, which is probably why all dumbo octopuses don’t have ink sacs.
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Dumbo Octopus Life In The Sea
The cute dumbo octopus can live at profound depths because it has several features that help it do so. Since water is so heavy, animals that live that deep have to be able to handle a lot of pressure. One of the most common ways to deal with this pressure is to have a gelatin body.
Contrary to their cousins with a shallower body, most dumbo octopuses have a very thin and soft body. This body stays together because of how hard their environment is. Most soft-bodied organisms can’t live at the surface because there isn’t enough pressure for their bodies to work as they should.
Even though the Dumbo octopus was first found and named in 1883, it wasn’t seen alive until the 1990s, when the first deep-sea submersible vessels were made. Scientists still don’t know much about these strange cephalopods.
What Do Dumbo Octopus Eat?
Dumbo octopuses jump on their prey and eat it whole. Copepods, isopods, bristle worms, and amphipods are among the things they eat. A lot of the food they eat is also found near ocean vent ecosystems, or the current carries it.
Where Do Dumbo Octopus Live?
Dumbo octopuses live up to 13,000 feet below the surface of the oceans all over the world. They are the deepest living octopuses we know of. Moreover, they eat snails, worms, and other animals they find on the ocean floor.
What Does A Dumbo Octopus Eat?
Dumbo octopuses pounce on their prey and eat it in its entirety. Copepods, isopods, bristle worms, and amphipods are some of the things they eat. A lot of the food they eat is also found near ocean vents or is carried by the current. Grimpoteuthis has one of the strangest ways of reproducing any sea creature.
When Was The Dumbo Octopus Discovered
The cute creature, called the Emperor Dumbo, was found in 2016. Alexander Ziegler, a biologist from Friedrich Wilhelm University in Bonn, Germany, was on the German survey ship R/V Sonne near the Aleutian Islands when a strange animal was caught in one of its nets.
What Does The Dumbo Octopus Need To Survive?
Dumbo octopuses live in the open ocean at depths of at least 13,100 feet (4000 m) and maybe even deeper. This makes them the deepest living octopuses we know of. To live at these extreme depths, you have to be able to handle icy water and no sunlight at all.
Are Dumbo Octopus Carnivores?
The dumbo octopus is a carnivore that attacks its food and eats it all at once. It eats things like isopods, amphipods, bristle worms, and creatures that live near thermal vents. A dumbo octupus has a different mouth than other octopuses, which tear and grind their food.
How Does A Dumbo Octopus Find Food?
When it eats, a Nemo Dumbo octopus glides above the seafloor. The octopus looks for food by moving its eight tentacled arms around the area. Dumbo octopi don’t get picky about what they eat because there isn’t much food where they live.
FAQs
Do Dumbo Octopuses Have 9 Brains?
Octopuses have 9 brains because each of their 8 arms has a tiny brain that gives it the ability to act on its own. Octopuses have blue blood because they use a protein called hemocyanin, which is rich in copper, to help them live in cold water with little oxygen.
Is A Dumbo Octopus Poisonous?
Grimpoteuthis octopuses, also known as “Dumbo octopuses,” are not known to be in danger and are not dangerous to people.
How Long Does A Dumbo Octopus Live?
The mantle fins on the dumbo octopus are already there when it is born and live for about 3–5 years.
How Big Is A Dumbo Octopus?
A dumbo octopus is around 8 inches long.
Parvaiz Yousuf is a senior SEO writer and editor with an experience of over 6 years, who also doubles up as a researcher. With an MSc zoology degree under his belt and possessing complete Search Engine Optimization (SEO) knowledge, he works as a science journalist for a US-based website and Asian Scientist (A Singapore-based magazine). He also works as Director of Wetland Research Centre, Wildlife Conservation Fund YPJK since 2018. Besides, he has several publications to his name on cancer biology and biochemistry in some reputed journals such as Nature & International Journal of Molecular Sciences, & magazines such as Science Reporter, BUCEROS BNHS, and has an abiding interest in ornithology. He also worked as a Research Associate for JK Policy Institute.
