The post Meet the “Dumbo” Octopus appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Quick Take
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Reaching 13,000 feet below sea level requires specialized biological structures found only in the Grimpoteuthis genus.
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The absence of ink sacs complicates defense mechanisms for deep-sea octopuses living near the seafloor.
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The dumbo octopus counter-intuitively rejects jet propulsion to navigate the seafloor through an entirely different method.
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Utilizing robot expeditions remains the only viable method for scouting Grimpoteuthis populations in their natural territory.
The dumbo octopus gets its name from its adorable, ear-like fins that resemble floppy ears. Their beady eyes make them even cuter, which is why they occasionally go viral online. One example is this Instagram post by @toxicgirlfunnies. The post features a close-up photo of a dumbo octopus and explains that they move by flapping their ear-like fins. Read on to learn more about these fascinating creatures.
The dumbo octopus has large, flappy ears, just like Dumbo.
©MFiamengo/Shutterstock.com
(MFiamengo/Shutterstock.com)
About the Dumbo Octopus
The dumbo octopus is a common name for the genus of deep-sea octopus, Grimpotheuthis. They get their name from their resemblance to Dumbo, the Disney elephant, due to their floppy ear-like fins. These octopuses inhabit the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans on the seafloor. They live deep, anywhere between 3,000 and 13,000 feet below sea level. Because their environments are so difficult for humans to access, they’re rarely seen by people. Instead, many of the photos we have come from robot expeditions. The octopus in the photo above is most likely a juvenile, as most dumbo octopuses grow to between 8 and 12 inches long, although some rare individuals can be much larger.
The deep-sea environment means that food is scarce for the dumbo octopus. To adapt to this, they feed on small animals like crustaceans, worms, and snails. The overall lack of food often poses challenges for animals on the seafloor, so most have developed ways to conserve energy. The dumbo octopus is no exception. They are neutrally buoyant, meaning that they use minimal energy by simply hovering or drifting along the seafloor. Since there are not many predators in their habitats, the octopus has limited camouflage. Similarly, they also don’t have ink sacs. This makes them quite different from what we traditionally think of as an octopus.
Dumbo Ears
The ‘ears‘ that give the dumbo octopus its name are not actually ears at all; they’re fins. They use these fins to swim through the water, which is very different from the way other octopuses move. Typically, an octopus uses its tentacles to create jet propulsion by rapidly expelling water behind it. The dumbo octopus uses its ear-like fins and the webs between its arms to swim instead. In terms of hearing, octopuses hear differently from mammals. Instead of having hearing structures like ours, they have statocysts, which are balance organs. These organs detect vibration and movement in the water. This allows them to sense their environment through vibrations in the water, rather than through true hearing as other animals do.
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