Coconut Octopus Size report
Amphioctopus marginatus, commonly known as the coconut octopus, is known for its bipedal walking and tool use. This species is widely distributed in warm water in the Indo-West Pacific. They know how to hide in coconut shells or shells and like to carry stones and hard shells to build their homes. The coconut octopus is one of the tool-friendly sea creatures.
Moreover, when there is no coconut shell, they can also wrap their arms and legs around their heads, directly disguise themselves as coconut, which is perfect camouflage to deceive predators and use two legs to run on the seabed. It is the first mollusk discovered by humans to run on two legs.
Coconut octopuses have a dark coloring with a pattern that resembles veins. The coconut octopus feeds on crabs, clams, and shrimp. It uses a hybrid style of catching prey. The coconut octopus will constantly leave you acclaim if you are an octopus enthusiast. The following post introduces more facts about this small-sized octopus.
Coconut Octopus Appearance And Size
The coconut octopus is also called the veined octopus because its skin has a vein texture similar to leaf vein stripes. Like most octopuses can change color, the body color of coconut octopus observed by people ranges from red to off-white or mixed colors. The coconut octopus can change its skin color to match the color and texture details of the immediate surroundings. When not engaged in a hidden pose, the coconut octopus displays a dark brownish to orange color. It has a lighter trapezoidal skin area just under the eyes, which is also one of its characteristics. Its sucker is generally white. Compared with the dark color of the body, the lighter sucker is like a string of bright lights dotted on the tentacle. The fact is that the coconut octopus does not produce any form of bioluminescence.
Average Size of Coconut Octopus
The main body of the octopus is normally 8 centimeters long and includes the arms, which are approximately 15 centimeters long. It has a mantel with an average length of 8-10 centimeters and a weight of 200-250 grams. The coconut octopus has one of the longer life spans for small-sized octopuses. The typical lifespan of the coconut octopus is between 3-5 years.
Quick Facts | |
---|---|
Scientific name | Amphioctopus marginatus |
Habitat | western Pacific and Indian Oceans |
Average Length | 15 cm |
Body Length | 8 cm |
Mantel Length | 8-10 cm |
Lifespan | 3-5 years |
Lifespan of Coconut Octopus
The primary factor determining their life span is when they decide to mate. The coconut octopus reaches sexual maturity between 18 and 24 months of age. Females lay about 100,000 eggs about 1-3 mm long. After 45 days, when the total length is 10-13 mm. Adults usually die shortly after reproduction. Once a male mates, he will die soon after that, sometimes days. The female can continue living for months or years. She will die after she has laid her eggs and they have hatched.
Final Words
The coconut octopus is classified as a tropical aquatic species found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. They prefer shallow coastal waters and spend most of their time on sandy or muddy bottoms close to the shoreline. Despite their small size, coconut octopuses are among the smartest sea creatures. It is said that the coconut octopus is one of only two octopuses capable of bipedal locomotion, which means moving by two limbs, similar to how human beings walk.