Interesting facts about Dumbo Octopus

Dumbo Octopus

Taxonomic Position:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Cephalopoda

Order: Octopoda

Family: Opisthoteuthidae

Scientific Name: Grimpoteuthis

Introduction

Dumbo Octopus is a deep marine animal that lives at a depth of 1000 to 7500 meters. It is about 8 inches in size. Dumbo Octopus has a very soft body. It has long eyes. It has 8 arms. Dumbo Octopus has ear-like wings on both sides of the head.

This cute creature named Emperor Dumbo was discovered in 2016 by Alexander Ziegler of a German university as a biologist abroad on a German service ship when a strange creature was trapped in one of its traps near the island. The type is named after the famous Walt Disney character Dumbo the Elephant because of its ear-like wings.

Their average weight is unknown. There are almost 17 species of Dumbo Octopus. This is the deepest living Octopus. Male and Female can be differentiated by the size of the suckers.

Dumbo octopuses have no skeleton, therefore they can change their shape. They are very intelligent from most the marine animals.

Dumbo Octopuses come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They are very fast due to their very small size. They have the ability to disguise themselves against invaders on the seafloor. 

Food

Dumbo Octopus is a carnivore animal. It is also known as a primary consumer. Crab is the favorite food of Dumbo Octopus. They eat snails, insects, and other creatures that they pick up from the seafloor.

These marine animals do not have regular teeth so they swallow their prey. It attacks its prey and eats it. They can eat up to 2mm long. Dumbo octopus attacks its prey and eats it whole. The food that they eat consists of bristle worms, isopods, copepods, amphipods, etc.

Habitat

Dumbo Octopus is a deep-sea animal. It lives in depths of at least 13,100 feet and above. They spend most of the time in deep and small holes. These are local animals and like to be alone.

Distribution

Dumbo octopus is a deep water animal that does not need any ink sac to protect itself. It is a very rare animal. Humans have rarely seen these animals because they are very small in size. That is why the oceans are so deep and octopuses live at the bottom of the ocean.

Now Dumbo Octopuses are rarely caught in fishing nets. These beautiful animals are rarely seen alive outside their natural habitat. Dumbo Octopus are mostly found in Australia, California, Newziland, The Philippines, and New Guinea.

Life Cycle of Dumbo Octopus

The lifespan of the Dumbo Octopus is 3 to 5 years. There is no specific mating season. They can reproduce as they wish. The female can deposit eggs throughout the whole year.

Ecological Importance

• Dumbo octopuses eat invertiberal marine animals. That swim on the ocean floor. They can bear high pressure and cold temperature through their mantle fins.
• Their reproductive schedule will continue and their number increase as compared to the octopuses that live on the upper level of the ocean.
• Dumbo Octopus lives in marine biomes.
• They live in solitude until there is no need for food or reproduction.

Threats

• Dumbo octopuses live in the depths of the oceans, so there are many predators in the depths that prey on the octopuses. These include diving fishes, sharks, Tuna, marine mammals, and dolphins.
• They live in deep water so they cannot be trapped in fishing nets. They have no danger from humans. When Dumbo Octopus enter oxygen-deficient waters, they temporarily lose the ability to see. ^[1]Grimpoteuthis – Wikipedia ^[2]Redirecting (elsevier.com) 

For photo ^[3]By NOAA Okeanos Explorer – http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1402/logs/apr28/apr28.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59869435

Written by: Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Ahsan

Reviewed by:
Dr. Muhammad Tahir Ph.D. (PU)
Post Doctorate
American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA