Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The seven-arm octopus is so named because in males, the hectocotylus (a specially modified arm used in egg fertilization) is coiled in a sac beneath the right eye. Due to this species' thick, gelatinous tissue, the arm is easily overlooked, giving the appearance of just seven arms. However, like other octopuses, it actually has eight. [5]
Many octopus arm anomalies have been recorded, [13] [14] including a 6-armed octopus (nicknamed Henry the Hexapus), a 7-armed octopus, [15] a 10-armed Octopus briareus, [16] one with a forked arm tip, [17] octopuses with double or bilateral hectocotylization, [18] [19] and specimens with up to 96 arm branches. [20] [21] [22]
The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is often cited as the largest known octopus species. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft). [ 19 ] The largest specimen of this species to be scientifically documented was an animal with a live mass of 71 kg (157 lb). [ 20 ]
Octopus is the largest genus of octopuses, comprising about 100 species.These species are widespread throughout the world's oceans. Many species formerly placed in the genus Octopus are now assigned to other genera within the family.
Octopodiformes is a superorder of the subclass Coleoidea, comprising the octopuses and the vampire squid.All living members of Octopodiformes have eight arms, either lacking the two tentacles of squid (as is the case in octopuses) or modifying the tentacles into thin filaments (as in vampire squid).
Macrotritopus Grimpe, 1922 (2 species) Octopus Cuvier, 1798 (99 species) Paroctopus Naef, 1923 (3 species) Pinnoctopus d'Orbigny, 1845 (2 species) Pteroctopus P. Fischer, 1882 (6 species) Robsonella Adam, 1938 (2 species) Scaeurgus Troschel, 1857 (5 species) Teretoctopus Robson, 1929 (2 species) Thaumoctopus Norman & Hochberg, 2005 (monotypic)
To understand the inner details of octopus lives, researchers dived for about a month at a reef off the coast of Eilat, Israel, and tracked 13 octopuses for a total of 120 hours using several cameras.
Some octopus species are also able to walk along the seabed. Squids and cuttlefish can move short distances in any direction by rippling of a flap of muscle around the mantle. While most cephalopods float (i.e. are neutrally buoyant or nearly so; in fact most cephalopods are about 2–3% denser than seawater [ 18 ] ), they achieve this in ...