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The amazing blanket octopus

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  • 14-08-2011 7:11pm
    #1
    Adam Khor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,279 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Here's one of my favorite sea creatures, the incredible blanket octopus. I'll let the pics speak for themselves, and just mention that the female blanket octopus is 100 times larger than the male, and about 40.000 times heavier (the most extreme case of sexual dimorphism according to some scientists). To reproduce, the male rips off one of its arms (which it has filled with sperm previously) and offers it to the female. With luck, she will use it to fertilize herself; but if she rejects it and throws it away, it's very tragic, for the male dies after ripping its own arm.

    Here's the pics:

    tumblr_la01xputIn1qzkdcfo1_500.jpg

    blanket-octopus-veil.jpg

    prev2.jpg
    tremoctopus_ToLWeb1org.jpg


Comments

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    #2
    steddyeddy
    Registered Users Posts: 27,564 ✭✭✭✭steddyeddy


    Im ashamed to say I hadnt heard of this animal. Interesting love life though, a lot of the octopus family put huge effort into passing on their dna. Like the giant pacific octopus which dies protecting her eggs.


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    #3
    Sid_Justice
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,720 ✭✭✭Sid_Justice


    steddyeddy wrote: »
    Im ashamed to say I hadnt heard of this animal. Interesting love life though, a lot of the octopus family put huge effort into passing on their dna. Like the giant pacific octopus which dies protecting her eggs.

    me neither! amazing creature.


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    #4
    Mr. Boo
    Registered Users Posts: 347 ✭✭Mr. Boo


    That thing is awesome looking!

    Reading about the genus in wikipedia:
    These species have evolved an unusual defense mechanism: blanket octopuses are immune to the poisonous Portuguese man o' war, whose tentacles the male and immature females rip off and use for defensive purposes. Also, unlike many other octopuses, the blanket octopus does not use ink to intimidate potential predators. When threatened, the female unfurls her large net-like membranes that spread out and billow in the water, greatly increasing her apparent size.

    Pretty cool...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanket_octopus


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    #5
    Adam Khor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,279 Mod ✭✭✭✭Adam Khor


    Mr. Boo wrote: »
    That thing is awesome looking!

    Reading about the genus in wikipedia:



    Pretty cool...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanket_octopus

    Haha I knew I had forgotten an interesting fact about the critter! :D


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