We have one very special octopus in the Onthank lab at this moment, so I thought I would start a journal for this one octopus. Truth is, I am not exactly sure what species she is. Around Rosario Beach Marine Lab (Northern Washington) there are only two species of octopuses that occur at diveable depths: the giant Pacific octopus and the ruby octopus. Luna is neither of those species. We found this population of octopuses at the end of last year, and Luna is one that we found this year and brought into the lab for some more observation. I think she might be a smooth-skinned octopus (Muusoctopus, formerly Benthoctopus, leioderma), but she was found in much too shallow of water and a few characteristics don't really line up (although several others do). Right now we are working on some genetic analysis of this species to see if we can pin down exactly if this is a smooth-skinned octopus or something else. In the mean time, I hope to keep you all updated with how Luna is doing.
If you are interested in seeing some video of Luna, you can watch some more at the Octopodium vlog.
The dive she was captured in is here:
Some more on Luna is here:
If you are interested in seeing some video of Luna, you can watch some more at the Octopodium vlog.
The dive she was captured in is here: