Dumbo Octopus is the collective common name of octopuses in the genus Grimpoteuthis. The name comes from the oversized, ear-like fins protruding from the top of their head-like bodies. People consider these to resemble the ears of Walt Disney’s popular creation, the flying elephant Dumbo.
All known species of Dumbo Octopus are bathyal creatures, living at extreme ocean depths of as much as 1,800-13,000 ft. (3,000-4,000 m), with some living up to 23,000 ft.( 7,000 m) below sea level.
This makes the Dumbo Octopus the deepest dwelling of all known species of octopus. They are also among the rarest of all known species of octopus.
Dumbo Octopus Behavior
The largest Dumbo octopus ever recorded was 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and weighed 13 pounds (5.9 kg), although the average size for the various species is perhaps smaller.
They hover above the sea floor, searching for polychaetes, pelagic copepods, isopods, amphipods, and other crustaceans to feed upon. The Dumbo Octopus is unique in the way it consumes food in that it swallows its prey whole. This method differs greatly from any other kind of octopus.
Dumbo Octopus Physical Characteristics
The animal propels itself through the water by pulsing its arms, shooting water through its funnel, by waving their ear-like fins, or any combination thereof.
Males and females differ in their size and sucker patterns.
Dissected females have yielded eggs during different stages of development, which has led to the conclusion that females lay eggs constantly, with no distinct breeding season.
Also, the male Dumbo Octopus possesses an enlarged segment on one of their arms, similar to the hectocotylus arm of other cephalopods. It is, in fact, likely that this modified arm transfers masses of spermatophores into the female during copulation, as occurs in other cephalopods.