Calypso flapjack octopus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flapjack octopus |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification |
The Flapjack octopus (scientific name: Opisthoteuthis calypso) is a unique type of octopus that looks a bit like a pancake! It belongs to a group called cirrate octopuses, which are known for having small fins and internal shells. You can find different kinds of flapjack octopuses in oceans all over the world.
Contents
About the Flapjack Octopus
Body Shape and Features
The Flapjack octopus has a special body shape. It's kind of oval and flattened, almost like a disc. Its body is also very soft and jelly-like. It has a large web of skin between its arms, which is why it's often called a "flapjack" or "pancake devil fish"!
This octopus usually has a body about 5 centimeters long. It also has two small fins on its body and an internal shell shaped like a "U." The Opisthoteuthis calypso has eight arms, and they are all about the same length. As adults, they have many suckers on each arm, usually between 47 and 58. They also have tiny, tassel-like parts called cirri on their arms, which are quite short (up to 5 millimeters). These short cirri help tell them apart from other flapjack octopuses. Because these octopuses are so delicate, it's hard for scientists to study them closely when they are caught.
Where They Live
The Flapjack octopus mostly lives in the South Eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They are quite rare, so scientists are still learning exactly where they are found.
These octopuses prefer to live on muddy parts of the ocean floor. In the South East Atlantic, they've been found at depths of about 365 meters (that's over 1,000 feet!). In the Mediterranean, they can live much deeper, sometimes at 2,208 meters (over 7,000 feet!). Recently, many of these octopuses have been found near the Balearic Islands and in the Sardinian Channel. For a while, people thought these octopuses were a different species called O. agassizi. But now, scientists believe Opisthoteuthis calypso is the only type of Opisthoteuthis octopus living in the Mediterranean Sea.
Life and Growth
When it comes to size, male Flapjack octopuses are usually bigger than females. Males can be up to 482 millimeters long and weigh around 5,400 grams. Females are smaller, typically 342 millimeters long and weighing about 1,650 grams.
Female Opisthoteuthis calypso octopuses lay eggs continuously, meaning they produce and release eggs often throughout their lives. This is different from many other octopuses that lay all their eggs at once and then often die.
What They Eat and How They Hunt
The Flapjack octopus likes to eat small, slow-moving creatures. Their favorite foods include tiny shrimp-like animals called gammarid amphipods and worms called polychaetes. These are all animals that live on or just above the seafloor.
Scientists have studied the stomach contents of these octopuses and found that worms and crustaceans (like the amphipods) make up most of their diet. They also found sand in their stomachs, which shows that they hunt for food right on the ocean bottom. Because they live in deep, dark places where there isn't much light, they don't need to use a lot of energy to move around and hunt. This is because they don't rely as much on seeing their prey.
Are They in Danger?
Sadly, the Flapjack octopus is listed as a "vulnerable" species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means their numbers are decreasing, and they could become endangered if things don't change.
The main reason they are vulnerable is because of commercial fishing. They are often caught by accident in fishing nets, which is called "bycatch." Other types of octopuses that are similar to the Flapjack octopus have seen their populations drop by 30% over three generations due to similar problems.
Related pages
- Flapjack octopus, a species of umbrella octopus.
