View Full Version : Octopus digueti, here we come!


cthulhu77
Jul 8th, 2003, 08:10am
Hey all,
We take off again this weekend in search of that elusive little critter...but, it is going to be an extreme tide this weekend (hence the trip), and we should be successful...the camera batts are charged, memory cards stocked up the wazoo, and a cooler for the portable beers...yeeeha!
Should have pics by tuesday online....wish us luck!
Greg and Shanlyn

Colin
Jul 8th, 2003, 01:12pm
GOOD LUCK

cthulhu77
Jul 13th, 2003, 08:57pm
Well, here I sit a little sunburned and quite a bit tired...and we didn't find ONE octopus digueti!!!
We found hundreds!
Lots of pics, lots of info...including a lovely rendition of envenomation by the little bas^*#ds written by myself...oh well.
Maybe monday....I am going to go to sleep!!!
8)
Greg

corw314
Jul 13th, 2003, 09:11pm
You are a cruel, cruel person!!!!!

Anxiously awaiting details!!!!

Carol :mrgreen:

Nancy
Jul 13th, 2003, 09:44pm
So did this turn out to be only a photography expedition, or did you bring one back with you?

Can't wait to see the pics!

Nancy

cthulhu77
Jul 13th, 2003, 10:55pm
Ok, Ok...I took a nap, and am having a nice cold drink, so I thought I would post one pic...more to come! We had a blast...just really, really hot!!!
Greg

Colin
Jul 14th, 2003, 03:10am
Excellent picture! Sounds like you had fun!

corw314
Jul 14th, 2003, 07:03am
Great Picture!!!! MORE DETAILS!!!!!! Did you bring one back???? I'm not too good with the scienticfic names, is this a dwarf???

My daughtor and I went mucking yesterday, but the tide was too low!!! Forgot the camera, but brought back more of the "cute crabs", hermit crabs, and some what look like turbo snails, which Ink loves, and tons of shrimp.

Carol

cthulhu77
Jul 14th, 2003, 09:43am
diguetis are wonderful little pygmy octos, very social and friendly (except the one that bit me :lol: )
More info to come later on today...I have to make up for lost time at work now!! :(
Greg

cthulhu77
Jul 17th, 2003, 08:23am
Ok. I have a bit of time to tell you some more about the trip...
The extreme tide at Cholla bay left virtually miles of tidal flat exposed...and the octos were everywhere!!! Seriously, I don't think you could take more than five steps without finding one! The nice thing is, to the casual shell collector/observer, they were invisible, as they have this neat trick of hiding in bivalve shells and holding the shells mostly closed with their tentacles! I found the most by following the little streams and rivulets that occur as the tide is running out...we stopped counting after a while, there were just toooo many.

cthulhu77
Jul 17th, 2003, 08:26am
more pics...
sometimes the octos can't find a bivalve shell, so they make do with a snail shell and pull in a piece to cover the opening! One tried to pull the shell shut and it got stuck on a fleeing snail...poor thing was frantically trying to push the well-adhered snail out of the shell while trying to look threatening to me...

cthulhu77
Jul 17th, 2003, 08:37am
I took hundreds of pics...I am just sorting through them now...hope this isn't boring!

cthulhu77
Jul 17th, 2003, 08:43am
and of course, we had to be careful of cone snails (very prevalent here), so we stocked up on essential supplies. The cooler is for the xx's, not the octos!!! :D
You can see what I mean by extreme tide by how low this boat is...on the ground!

tonmo
Jul 17th, 2003, 09:17am
:notworth: awesome pics.

scarmig
Jul 17th, 2003, 10:28am
So, what is the attack speed of your average man-eating cone snail?

corw314
Jul 17th, 2003, 04:19pm
Excellent pictures!!!

Did you bring one back????????? That giant snail was a cone snail? Poisoness? That's one huge snail!!!!! Luckely we don't have to worry about them here!!!

Carol

cthulhu77
Jul 18th, 2003, 08:01am
The cone snails found in Cholla Bay are not deadly, but they do hurt quite a bit! And, actually, cone snails can move quite quickly when they have the mood!
Very exciting news on the O.digueti front, but I have to check into some legal issues before I crack the story! Sorry! :cry:
Greg


Yeah, yeah I know...I hate to leave you hanging!