Mimic OctopusBy Taylor Kaiser

4th Block

What is a mimic octopus?Scientific name:

Thaumoctopus mimicus

A mimic octopus is a variety of octopus closely related to the wonderpus

Where are they found?This creature was

discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia on the bottom of a muddy river mouth.

What is the scientific classification of the mimic octopus?Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: MolluskaClass: CephalopodaOrder: OctopodaFamily: OctopodidaeGenus: ThaumoctopusSpecies: Thaumoctopus mimicus

What are physical characteristics of mimic octopi?

60 centimeters across

Usually brown and white in color (but can change resulting from mood or environment)

What is unique about the mimic octopus?Mimic octopi are unique

because of their amazing skill camouflaging themselves.

These octopi take their camouflage to an extreme by actually contorting their bodies into the shape of, and then actually behaving like various other sea creatures.

What do mimic octopi eat?Mimic octopi feed on the bottom of the

tropical estuaries in which they live.They search the sea floor for small fish and

crustaceans to eat.

Mimic Octopus BehaviorsThese are some examples of the mimic

octopus’ ability to expertly imitate other animals.

Can you guess what animal it is mimicking?

What Animal?This octopus has hidden three of it’s arms so that it looks like a sea star.

StarFish

What Animal?The octopus has positioned itself so that it looks almost identical to a flat fish such as a flounder.

Flounder

What Animal?Part of this octopus is inside of its hole so it looks to be a snake.

SeaSnake

What Animal?In this photo, the octopus looks like a lionfish.

Lionfish

What Animal?This octopus looks like a ray.

StingRay

Mimic Octopus blending in with the sea floor.

This Octopus is partially hidden in his hole.

Bibliography•http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/09/0920_octopusmimic.html•http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=260•http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/4/fish