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Dumbo octopus
Family Opisthoteuthidae
These charming deep sea octopus get their common name from their paired fins that look like elephant ears. They are found to considerable depths - one was sighted at 7,000m, the deepest depth of any cephalopod.
Subspecies
There are about 37 species, currently assigned to four genera. Many are poorly understood.
Statistics
They can grow to 20cm.
Distribution
They are found in every ocean.
Habitat
These are deep sea octopus, typically living from 100-5,000m depth, though they have been seen at 7,000m depth - the greatest depth for any cephalopod, and may venture into shallower waters in polar regions. They are typically benthic, living on or close to the bottom, though some may be found some meters from the seabed where they drift, with arms outspread.
Diet
Bottom-dwelling species eat crustaceans, worms and bivalves. Those hovering above the bottom tend to eat pelagic copepods. They are unusual in that they mainly swallow prey whole.
Behaviour
These deep-dwelling octopus swim by flapping their large ears and/or by expansion and contraction of their webbed arms. They are graceful swimmers and capable of rapid escape when threatened.
Reproduction
Males and female may differ in terms of size, and in terms of their sucker pattern - males sometimes having enlarged suckers on the arm. Males transfer packets of sperm, called spermatophores, to the female's mantle cavity. These rupture to fertilize the eggs.
Eggs are laid individually, attached to substrate on the seabed. They are commonly quite large in size and the resulting young may be quite advanced at point of hatching. The ovaries of these octopus contain eggs at many different stages, implying that they lay continually, rather than having a discrete breeding season.
Conservation status
These octopus are poorly understood but are not considered to be endangered.
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