Octopus Lovers

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I'm only aware of two species in Cape Town: the Common Octopus (octopus vulgaris), which I believe you can find all over the Atlantic and Mediterranean; and the Brush-tipped Octopus (aphrodoctus schultzi), which is rare and endemic to South Africa. The one in that video is a Common Octopus. They get pretty big, arms up to a metre/ three feet long, but not nearly as large as GPOs. I've only seen a few (I'm terrible at spotting them when they're hiding); all of those have been a reddish-brown colour, but the colour varies (and they can change colour).

I'm not sure what species you might've seen in Pemba. I don't have any decent reference books for the western Indian Ocean, just a few fish ID slates. The only octopus on there is the White Spotted Octopus (octopus cyanea), but that doesn't seem to fit the bill: they're a bit smaller than the common octopus.
 
Man, I am late to the party! Here's a small GPO from Howe Sound a few weeks ago....

octopus3 (1).jpg

The funny thing about that guy was that I saw his mantle and eyes peeking out at us from under a rock from a few meters away... I wish I got a photo of that, it was priceless.

I'll upload more when I'm home...
 
Now that I finally figured out how to post my video...
[video=youtube_share;1HVBDZFVgWQ]http://youtu.be/1HVBDZFVgWQ[/video]

Nice find!

I'm guessing you were using a video light? The green fades in as you get farther from the camera.
 
Marginatus is my favorite octo


I found one lurking....

2481618488_13195c45f2_o.jpg


I offered it a shell I thought was nice. He decided to try it on for size

2481618494_03afa47e6b_o.jpg



Hmmm...it fits pretty well

2480822699_bdd316f322_o.jpg



BACK OFF! This is my shell now!

2480832665_70e59dde4f_o.jpg


I grabbing this and running!! An octo "mobile home"


1269646730_e12a306315_o.jpg



2480764413_cb08acc899_o.jpg


I'm going to hide under it. I am going to peek out to see if she is still there......DANG!! She is!!


1269646744_c1501b40f7_o.jpg





I'll post more of my cephs later!
 
Allison, fun shots!!!

here's another one of an octopus trying to take my camera!
934630_10151391434263531_541403522_n.jpg
 
Nice find!

I'm guessing you were using a video light? The green fades in as you get farther from the camera.

Thanks, I have about 30 minutes of video with these guys. I'm using a gopro with 2 of the new UK video lights.
 
Allison, I dig the photo sequence with narration. The Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) sounds like a real character, bipedal walking?

Amphioctopus marginatus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I got great video of bipedal walking on my trip to Lembeh. I just need to figure how to get it out of my GoPro and how to post it. Anyone close to Chapel Hill who can walk me through it?
 

Back
Top Bottom