Mimic Octopus

The Mimic Octopus belongs to the family Octopodidae. This species of octopus can be found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, dwelling in muddy river bottoms in estuaries. The Mimic Octopus was first discovered on the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia in the late 90’s. This species is observed to be quite small. Their body only grows to a length of about 2 ft and their tentacles about 9 ft. They have small horns that extend on top of their eyes with stripe-like patterns that are brown and beige. The color of this octopus is what leads to where they get their name from. Mimic octopuses are like all octopuses and use chromatophores (cells that produce color) to disguise themselves with their background. What’s different with the mimic octopus is the type of defense mechanism they use. It is all in the name! These creatures can change their color and position their body to ‘mimic’ poisonous animals to avoid predators. The animals they mimic are: the sole fish, the lionfish and sea snakes!

#mimicoctopus #educate #themoreyouknow #marinezoologist #marinelife #oceancreatures #animalfacts #animals #animallover #sealife #seaanimals #ocean #marineconservation #keeptheseaplasticfree #wildlifeseekers #wildlifeconservation #savetheocean #savetheplanet #marinebiology #oceanography #zoology #blackzoologist #tarimahthezoologist

🐬🐋🦈🐡🐙🐧🦦🐠🦑