Hi! I'm very new to octos(10 days) since I was convinced to bring this guy home from the lfs. I know absolutely very little about these guys, but (Nubbin) did eat out of my hand tonight!

I forgot to mention the tag on the bag from the supplier said"Indian Ocean Octopus"

it looks a lot like the octopus i got today (that was supposed to be a bimac). especially the horns over the eyes and on the mantle: http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12290

how long is his mantle... how long are his legs

They do look like twins,dont they? Nubbin has many or the same colors on his legs when he darkens.

His mantle is about 2 1/2" and his legs are around 7-8" when he is cruising or climbing.

:welcome: Luigi and Nubbin... I'm voting aculeatus, but I suggest waiting for Roy or Mucktopus to chime in before being convinced...

Thanks for your input! I'm new with these guys, but relly enjoying him/her, when he comes out!

It looks similar to A. Aculeatus, but there are some things about it that strike me wrong. Roy or Mucktopus will be able to give a definitive answer, as Monty said. There is no way that is a bimac :), especially from IO.

do you ever see him "walk?" if so he's probably an aculeatus, since they do that bipedal thing

I have'nt actually seen him walk, but last night he did just stand on like 3 legs. he stood very still and just watched me. It looked like he was trying to imitate a stick or something. We had a small accident about 10 days ago, in which he lost a leg. I thought we were both going to die! As of yesterday, he seems to have forgiven me, and I have noticed a new leg, about 1/3" starting to grow back!

Luigi,
Did the arm come of close to the body or near the tip? Would you describe the "accident"? It is helpful for all of us to know when things go wrong as well as when they go right but the arm loss in an a. aculeatus is also of special interest since the Abdopus is a species of octopus that can voluntarily loose an arm to distract preditors. Their regenerative abilities are faster than other octopuses because of this unique feature.

Octane came with an arm tip missing and I can see it growing but not anywhere near as quickly as what you are seeing.

I'm with all of you- it looks similar to aculeatus but a little different Many of the species in Abdopus are really hard to tell apart. But getting it down to genus is fine- most are very similar ecologically- tropical, intertidal, diurnal, most probably eat crabs and a few fish.
Who knows if the other species in Abdopus walk- keep an eye out!

I'm rather embarrassed to admit how our "accident" happened. But in the name of science, here we go! I had taken some rock out of the tank to do some rearranging (to move his favorite hiding place to the front area so we could see him) I had taken his rock out and set it in a bucket, for about 1 minute. I then put the rock back in the tank, and went about cleaning up. About 30 minutes later, I got to thinking that I had not checked the bucket to make sure he hadn't come out of the rock. So (in the dark) I stick my hand in the bucket. He had come out into the bucket, and was obviously very glad to see me, because he firmly attached himself to my arm,and started crawling up. Now I'M not really squeamish, but that was a totally new deal for me, and in my haste to separate the two of us, I fear that I may have been a little freaked out. I was trying to be gentle, but I was also trying to get the lid on the tank unsealed (I use a heavy tape around the lid). Some time during the fracus, and after I got him back in the water, I noticed that I still had this 6" leg still crawling up my arm. It had come off right next to his body. It was difficult to see exactly where it had come off for a while because he didnt come out to play for about 3 days. I dont think I got that rough, and now,I dont feel quite as bad, because I really do think that he may have released it himself. I will try to get a picture of the new appendage and post it!

I also want to add that I have not seen him "walk" but my wife tells me she saw him doing it the other evening. I would have loved to see it!!!

Luigi,
Thanks for the post. There have been a few others to loose arms close to the body like that but I only put the Adopus ability together with the event when you mentioned your accident. I now suspect this has happened to others but no one thought about this characteristic.

Octane (Hummelincki) did an upright walk a couple of days ago and I have been keeping the camera armed and pointed at the tank ever since. Unfortunately, he doesn't spend time in the very front when we are around (he stays to the back and sides, visible and will come to the front corner for food but not the front center). It was even cooler than his "rock" walk so I hope I can video it.

Here is a couple of update photos on the re-growth of Nubbin's arm. It is now about 2" long. They re-grow rather quickly! He seems to have forgiven me, so all is well!!!

Very cool! This is valuable data- please keep us posted! In a smaller member of Abdopus (an undescribed species from Guam), it takes about three weeks for an arm to grow back.

Very nice looking octopus.

Ive had an aculeatus drop a leg on me from transferring him to a different tanks. Its interesting to see. There was absolutely no pressure that could have cut it. It was a defense mechanism. The leg kept moving for over an hour. I took a video of it, but its buried in my 100s of folders of random videos and pictures. Creepy stuff!

Paradox,
I thought you were sorting through your pics :sagrin:. That would be a most interesting video.