The animal in question is a group of deep-sea cephalopods belonging to the genus Grimpoteuthis, which includes about 17 known species. These mysterious, tentacled creatures live in dark, cold waters in oceans around the world, making them challenging to research.
This marine animal is the dumbo elephant – also known as the cutest octopus. Jo Price takes a look at this extraordinary creature.
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Why is it called a Dumbo octopus?
Dumbo octopuses get their name from their elephant ear-like fins, said to resemble those belonging to the character Dumbo, the loveable young elephant from the 1941 Disney film.
How big are Dumbo octopuses?
Reportedly, the largest Dumbo octopus recorded was 1.8m long and weighed 5.9kg but, on average, Grimpoteuthis species are 20-30cm long. For comparison, the record holder for largest cephalopod is the giant squid at 13m long and weighing 495kg!
How do Dumbo octopuses move?
Dumbo octopuses flap their strong fins (supported by internal cartilage in their mantle) to propel themselves gracefully through the water. Webbing between their short arms creates a bell-shaped ‘umbrella’, which can also be opened and closed to further aid movement.
Why are they described as ‘cute’?
In addition to their 'Dumbo' fins, these mysterious octopuses are considered endearing because of their mostly small and squat appearance.
However, they’re not the only genus of octopuses to be thought of as ‘cute’. Opisthoteuthis species, sometimes known as flapjack octopuses, capture human hearts, too. The bright-pink young octopus Pearl, in the animated film Finding Nemo (2003), is reportedly based on Opisthoteuthis californiana.
Where are Dumbo octopuses found?
The deepest living of all known octopuses, Dumbos exist thousands of metres below the surface in the bathyal zone (1,000-4,000m) and abyssal zone (5,000-6,000m). They have soft, gelatinous bodies to cope with the intense pressure at these extreme depths – much like how other deep sea animals don't implode. Like other octopuses, they have blue blood that contains a copper-based protein known as hemocyanin (rather than the iron contained in red blood), which is more efficient at transporting oxygen in cold and low-oxygen environments.
Why do Grimpoteuthis have ‘hairs’?
Grimpoteuthis species belong to a suborder known as cirrate octopuses because they possess cirri (thin, hair-like filaments) near their suckers, which are thought to aid sensing and feeding, by wafting food towards the octopuses’ mouths. Incirrate octopuses, such as the common octopus, don’t have these ‘hairs’.
How do Dumbo octopus catch prey?
The ‘umbrella’ of a Dumbo octopus’s webbed arms works like a net to help trap prey, which the cephalopod swallows. When Grimpoteuthis species pounce on their meal, they spread their webbed arms around their target, enclosing it to prevent it from escaping, and swallow it whole.
What do Dumbo octopuses eat?
Their diet consists of small creatures such as copepods, isopods, amphipods, bristle worms, snails and bivalves, which they find near vent ecosystems, floating in currents or on the ocean floor.
Can Dumbo octopus change colour?
Grimpoteuthis species can change their skin colour to create a brighter bottom and a darker top, which makes them less visible in the open sea. This strategy is known as countershading and makes it more difficult for predators both above and below to detect the octopuses in the dim light conditions of the deep ocean.
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Do they have any predators?
Dumbo octopuses have few predators, which is why they lack the ink sac that other species of octopus use for defence. However, in the shallower parts of their depth range, they can be preyed upon by deep-diving fish such as tuna, some sharks, and marine mammals such as dolphins.
How do Dumbo octopuses breed?
It’s tricky to find a mate when you live in the depths of the vast, dark ocean, which is why Dumbo octopuses have a clever reproductive strategy. Females contain eggs at various stages of maturation. During mating, a male transfers a sperm packet into his partner’s mantle, and she controls the timing of fertilisation. Females then lay their fertilised eggs on the seafloor, under rocks or on other hard surfaces, doing so when conditions are optimal. Once the youngsters hatch, they must survive on their own.
What is their conservation status?
Dumbo octopus species are listed as either Least Concern or Data Deficient by the IUCN. Their population sizes are unknown due to the extreme depths at which they live. Specimens are rarely found, and those that reach the surface are often in poor condition, making it difficult to gather detailed information about these animals and their potential vulnerabilities.
However, non-invasive methods have been employed to study the cephalopods. In April 2021, a new deep-sea octopus named the emperor dumbo (Grimpoteuthis imperator) was described by scientists from the University of Bonn following a discovery using special imaging techniques.
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