Seven-arm octopus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Seven-arm octopus |
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| Ventral view of young female (70 mm ML) | |
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| Lateral view of young male | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Superfamily: | Argonautoidea |
| Family: | Alloposidae Verrill, 1881 |
| Genus: | Haliphron Steenstrup, 1861 |
| Species: |
H. atlanticus
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| Binomial name | |
| Haliphron atlanticus Steenstrup, 1861
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| Synonyms | |
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The seven-arm octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) is an amazing sea creature. It is also called the blob octopus or "septopus." Along with the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, it is one of the two largest living species of octopus. The largest one ever found weighed an incredible 75 kilograms (165 pounds). It stretched about 3.5 meters (11 feet) long!
Contents
Features of the Seven-Arm Octopus
Even though people call it the seven-arm octopus, it actually has eight arms. In males, one special arm called a hectocotylus is tucked into a pouch under the right eye. Because its body is thick and jelly-like, that arm is easy to miss. This animal also has a swim bladder, an organ usually found in fish. It lets the octopus float smoothly without sinking or floating up. Young ones are mostly see-through, while adults can range from pale blue or white to reddish-purple. Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have even recorded deep-red adults swimming in the sea.
Where the Seven-Arm Octopus Lives
These octopuses live in deep waters all around the globe. The first known type specimen came from the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores. In 2002, deep-sea fishers near the Chatham Rise in New Zealand caught an enormous one from a depth of 920 meters. Another specimen was caught by a trawl net in Norway, weighing 8.5 kilograms, and went to the NTNU University Museum. Scientists also spotted many of them in deep waters around Monterey Bay. In the northern Norwegian Sea and cold Arctic areas, researchers found their remains inside the stomachs of giant sperm whales.
Diet and Predators
Seven-arm octopuses love to eat jellyfish and other squishy floating animals in the open sea. They target the parts with the most nutrients, such as the stomach of a jellyfish. However, they must watch out for bigger ocean hunters. Their main enemies include the blue shark, sperm whales, monk seals, and the speedy swordfish.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Male seven-arm octopuses are tiny compared to females. These dwarf males are only a tiny fraction of the female's body size. They use their hidden arm to pass reproductive material to the female. Females lay strings of eggs, keeping their young safe until they hatch and drift into the wide ocean.
See also
In Spanish: Pulpo de siete brazos para niños
