animals, animals, animals

Paying homage to the wonderful, unusual and diverse world of animals. I make no claim to content ownership. Sources are credited (with links) whenever possible — on both unique posts & re-blogs. Any post will be removed upon request (please provide URL link to the post/page). Enjoy! Email: animalworldtumblrblog@gmail.com Twitter: @animalworldtoo


Links   Ask me anything   Submit


COCONUT OCTOPUS or VEINED OCTOPUS (Amphioctopus marginatus)  ©NG Richard. Amphioctopus marginatus, also known as the coconut octopus and veined octopus, is a medium-sized cephalopod belonging to the genus Amphioctopus. It is found in the sandy tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. It commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, and clams, and displays unusual behaviour, including bipedal walking and gathering and using coconut shells and seashells for shelter. Researchers from the Melbourne Museum in Australia observed the creature’s use of tools for defense, and the use of available debris to create a defensive fortress. As their sandy-floored location does not provide rocky crevices to hide in, the octopus creates it’s own protection. The discovery of this behavior, observed in Bali and North Sulawesi in Indonesia between 1998 and 2008, was published in the journal Current Biology in December 2009. The researchers filmed A. marginatus collecting coconut shells, (discarded by humans), from the sea floor, carried them up to 20 meters (66 ft) away, and arranged the shells to form a hiding place akin to a clamshell. Although other species use foreign objects as shelter, the sophisticated behavior of A. marginatus is that they select materials, carry and reassemble them, which is far more complex. By the researchers’ definition of a tool as “an object carried or maintained for future use,” the behavior of A. marginatus is the first documented case of tool use in invertebrates. While the hermit crab re-uses a shell A. marginatus collects shells for future use, so when the octopus is transporting the shell, it is not getting protection from the shell. The researchers considered this highly unusual behavior. Fact source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphioctopus_marginatus Other photos you may enjoy: Wunderpus Blue-ringed Octopus Mimic Octopus (video)

COCONUT OCTOPUS or VEINED OCTOPUS (Amphioctopus marginatus)  ©NG Richard.

Amphioctopus marginatus, also known as the coconut octopus and veined octopus, is a medium-sized cephalopod belonging to the genus Amphioctopus. It is found in the sandy tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean. It commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, and clams, and displays unusual behaviour, including bipedal walking and gathering and using coconut shells and seashells for shelter.

Researchers from the Melbourne Museum in Australia observed the creature’s use of tools for defense, and the use of available debris to create a defensive fortress. As their sandy-floored location does not provide rocky crevices to hide in, the octopus creates it’s own protection. The discovery of this behavior, observed in Bali and North Sulawesi in Indonesia between 1998 and 2008, was published in the journal Current Biology in December 2009.

The researchers filmed A. marginatus collecting coconut shells, (discarded by humans), from the sea floor, carried them up to 20 meters (66 ft) away, and arranged the shells to form a hiding place akin to a clamshell. Although other species use foreign objects as shelter, the sophisticated behavior of A. marginatus is that they select materials, carry and reassemble them, which is far more complex.

By the researchers’ definition of a tool as “an object carried or maintained for future use,” the behavior of A. marginatus is the first documented case of tool use in invertebrates. While the hermit crab re-uses a shell A. marginatus collects shells for future use, so when the octopus is transporting the shell, it is not getting protection from the shell. The researchers considered this highly unusual behavior.

Fact source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphioctopus_marginatus

Other photos you may enjoy:

Wunderpus

Blue-ringed Octopus

Mimic Octopus (video)

Notes

  1. aprofoundquiet reblogged this from octopoda
  2. thequietsage reblogged this from animalworld
  3. eightlilikoi reblogged this from rifewithlife
  4. rifewithlife reblogged this from frolickinparadise
  5. whi-sp reblogged this from frolickinparadise
  6. frolickinparadise reblogged this from animalworld
  7. peu-mlle reblogged this from animalworld
  8. exotic-fish-species reblogged this from animalworld
  9. derangedbutterfly reblogged this from redsassafras and added:
    COCONUT OCTOPUS or VEINED OCTOPUS (Amphioctopus marginatus) ©NG Richard. Amphioctopus marginatus, also known as the...
  10. foxyflowerchild reblogged this from octopoda and added:
    COCONUT OCTOPUS or VEINED OCTOPUS (Amphioctopus marginatus) Amphioctopus marginatus, also known as the coconut octopus...
  11. life-is-go0d reblogged this from seatopia
  12. fuzzy-n4v3l reblogged this from jelly-fishes
  13. jelly-fishes reblogged this from dances
  14. dances reblogged this from octopoda
  15. zebrabajz reblogged this from octopoda
  16. merry-g reblogged this from animalworld
  17. phineastoo reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    Is it just me or is this kinda cute?
  18. pinkbriefs reblogged this from karathekraken
  19. karathekraken reblogged this from nailaahloves
  20. nailaahloves reblogged this from octopoda
  21. cephalopodqueen reblogged this from animalworld
  22. officiousseeingeyebitch reblogged this from animalworld
  23. puddlepirate reblogged this from adventures-of-the-blackgang
  24. heartcork reblogged this from redsassafras
  25. lunacylover reblogged this from octopoda
  26. arpd reblogged this from mjops
  27. weonlywakeupwhenwesleep reblogged this from tentaclegarden
  28. mjops reblogged this from octopoda
  29. torihunts reblogged this from kerishma
  30. kerishma reblogged this from seatopia
  31. hawaiianbistro reblogged this from varietistmuse
  32. no0lcue reblogged this from iliveonplanetspace and added:
    …what is even going on in this picture? I know it’s awesome because my eyes don’t wanna look at it, but it just doesn’t...
  33. cable-knitted reblogged this from canisbeta