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Related FAQs: Cephalopods, Cephalopods 2, Cephalopod
Identification, Cephalopod Behavior,
Cephalopod Compatibility,
Cephalopod Selection,
Cephalopod Feeding, Cephalopod Systems,
Cephalopod Disease,
Cephalopod Reproduction,
Related Articles: Mollusks,
/The Conscientious
Marine Aquarist
Octopus,
Cuttlefish, Squid, the Class Cephalopoda
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by Bob Fenner
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Sepia latimanus
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Cephalopods: "Head feet"... the brainy Mollusks. Masters of disguise,
ambush, speed (well, for some).
Octopus:
| Octopus cyanea, Gray 1929, the Common Reef Octopus. Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to
Hawai'i. Common reef species. Has a prominent black spot surrounded by
another black ring near base of arm web. N. Sulawesi pic. |
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| Octopus (cyanea?) Below, three pix of the
same specimen (I shot them in sequence), off of Queensland, Australia and
one flushed red in consternation in Hawai'i at right. . |
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| Octopus macropus, the White-Spotted Octopus. 12-20
inches. Here is a small individual off of Cozumel at night. |
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| Octopus vulgaris Cuvier 1797, Common Octopus.
Worldwide in tropical seas. Have a dark ring around each sucker.
Most commonly occurred octopus species out during the day. One in Cancun,
Mexico, another in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. |
 
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| Octopus sp. The Mimic Octopus. Celebrated, though not
as much as the Wonderpus (another Octopus sp.) for its still and active
posturings pretending to be a Mantis, Lionfish... to avoid predation,
sneak up on food organisms... N. Sulawesi |
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| I'm a flatfish |
I'm a lionfish |
What am I? |
| Octopus sp. Here is the "king of mimic octopi" the
Wonderpus... able to mimic many marine creatures in a very short while...
changing its repertoire if others "don't work". Here in the muck in shallow water
near KBR. |
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| As a Mantis Shrimp |
As a Seasnake |
| Octopus sp. Another of a few more unidentified
species (to me, science it seems...) found in Sulawesi, Indonesia. This
one called the Long Arm Octopus locally. Here in the muck in shallow water
near KBR. |
 
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| Octopus sp. Yet another of a few more unidentified
species found in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Here above and in the muck in
shallow water near KBR. |
 
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Cuttlefish & Squids:
| Metasepia pfefferi Hoyle 1885. The Flamboyant
Cuttlefish. Western Pacific; Australia, Indonesia, Philippines. To about
four inches (body length). Almost always pictured "disturbed" in
its brilliant coloration. Active, "walking", hunting during the
day. Uses two long tentacles to grab fishes, crustaceans, gastropods. Two
dorsal fins and a "keel" process. Shown below: A vertical of a
feeding individual, an "alarmed" one and a batch of eggs laid in
an overturned half cocoanut shell. Indonesia and Malaysia pix. |
| Sepia sp. Western Pacific; N. Sulawesi, Indonesia. To
about 20cm. in length. Has papillae over its entire body. This may just be
a juvenile size S. latimanus... N. Sulawesi pix. |
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| Sepia sp.2. Dwarf (Thumbnail size) Cuttlefish. N.
Sulawesi pix. |
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| Sepiateuthis lessoniana Lesson 1830. Bigfin Reef
Squid. Recognized by its long body-length finnage. Found near the surface to
100 meters. Indo-Mid-Pacific; Red Sea to Hawai'i. S. Sulawesi, Indonesia pic. |
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| Sepia papuensis Hoyle 1885, Papuan Cuttlefish.
Small (60 mm. maximum) with small papillae on the mantle surface,
relatively long tentacles. Western Pacific; Australia, New Guinea, Indo.,
Philippines. N. Sulawesi, Indonesia pix. |
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| Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg 1831, Pharaoh Cuttlefish.
Red Sea, entire Indo-Pacific. To about eighteen inches in length. Keep
solitarily. Lives 2-3 years. This one off Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia. |
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Bibliography/Further Reading:
CephBase: http://www.cephbase.utmb.edu/
The Octopus News Magazine Online: www.tonmo.com
Hobbyist octopus site: http://www.tralfazworld.com
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