White-spotted octopus, Grass octopus, Grass scuttle
The Atlantic white-spotted octopus (Callistoctopus macropus) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusk that inhabits shallow areas of the ocean. Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse of all invertebrates.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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PlanktivoreA planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withAtlantic white-spotted octopuses grow to a total length of 150 cm (59 in). The first pair of arms is a meter or so long and are much longer than the remaining three pairs. The arms are all connected by a shallow web. These octopuses are red in color, with white blotches on their bodies, and paired white spots on their arms. When they are disturbed, their color becomes more intense, deimatic behavior which may make them appear threatening to a potential predator.
Atlantic white-spotted octopuses are found in the Mediterranean Sea, the temperate and tropical Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. They are also present in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They live near the shore at depths down to about 17 m (56 ft). The favored habitat of these mollusks is sand, rubble, or seagrass meadows, and they sometimes bury themselves under the sand.
Atlantic white-spotted octopuses are nocturnal and hunt by night. Their method of feeding is to move from one clump of branching coral to another searching for prey. The octopus wraps its mantle around a coral head and probes with its arms among the branches, searching for the small fish and invertebrates that seek protection there. Although usually, solitary Atlantic white-spotted octopuses may feed with a number of predatory fish, which also pounce on small organisms that are flushed from the coral head by octopuses. Octopuses mainly move about by relatively slow crawling with some swimming in a head-first position. Jet propulsion or backward swimming is their fastest means of locomotion, followed by swimming and crawling. When in no hurry, they usually crawl on either solid or soft surfaces. During the daylight hours, Atlantic white-spotted octopuses usually hide making it hard to observe them in wild.
Atlantic white-spotted octopuses are carnivores (piscivores, planktivores) and feed on small fish and other small organisms which lurk among the branches of corals.
For many years, the breeding habits of Atlantic white-spotted octopuses were not known. Then a female was observed attaching short-stalked eggs, measuring 4 by 1.2 mm (0.16 by 0.05 in), to a hard surface forming a sheet of eggs. The female then brooded the eggs, caring for them by aerating them and keeping them clean. The female octopus stopped feeding at the time the eggs were laid and died soon after they had hatched, as is common among octopus species. The planktonic larvae which emerged from the eggs were each about 5.5 mm (0.2 in) in length with short, seven-suckered arms. They fed on zooplankton such as crustacean larvae.
There are no known threats to the Atlantic white-spotted octopus. However, in some parts of their native range, these mollusks may suffer from fishing as they are considered a delicacy.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Atlantic white-spotted octopus total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
