Mimic Octopus
From Freepedia
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The Indonesian Mimic Octopus is a species of octopus that has the uncanny ability to mimic other sea creatures. As of 2005 it has not been fully described and so has no scientific name.
This octopus is up to 60 cm in length, with brown and white stripes or spots covering its body.
Living in the tropical seas of South East Asia, it was not officially discovered until 1998, off the coast of Sulawesi – before that, divers thought they were seeing other common animals which the octopus is mimicking.
Much like the Wunderpus species, this octopus is able to copy the physical likeness and movement of different species like sea snakes, flounder, lionfish, and flatfish.
External links
- National Geographic.com Article
- Dynamic mimicry in an Indo-Malayan octopus (PDF) 2001 paper describing the discovery
