While other species of octopus can impress you with their camouflaging capability - literally disappearing into their background - the Dumbo Octopus’ ability in this regard is more modest. While on the ocean floor they can assume more detailed camouflage pattern to match their surroundings. This assists them in not being so easily spotted while in the open. This color can vary from white, pink, red or brown. While swimming in the open they can change color. Their main form of defense is camouflage. In fact, very recently a Dumbo Octopus was found swimming in the Java Trench at around 23,000 ft, which set a new depth record while it was the first time an octopus of this species was ever seen beyond hadal depths!įirst, being that they live between 3,000 to 13,000 below the surface of the ocean, the number of natural predators that Dumbo Octopuses face are fewer than octopuses which spend their time in shallower water.Įven so, the Dumbo Octopus is prey for sharks and Giant Squid.
Thanks to deep-water observation submarines, marine biologists have been able to observe Dumbo Octopuses in their native depth. By doing some simple math you see how impossible it is for humans to take a look at a Dumbo Octopus on its home turf first-hand.įortunately, what we humans lack in deep-sea pressure endurance, we more than compensate for in the development of technology. Highly trained and skilled technical divers with specialized equipment cannot go beyond 350 feet. To illustrate this, recreational divers would be stretching their limits if they dove to depths of more than 130 feet. While for a Dumbo Octopus such depths are routine, for us humans they are deadly. In part, this is what makes it difficult for marine biologists to properly study these cute cephalopods. Some live at depths of 13,000 feet below the surface of the sea. Dumbo Octopuses are well adapted for living in some of the deepest waters of the world’s oceans. For now, we carry on with 13 as the number of known Dumbo Octopus species.ĭon’t expect to find a Dumbo Octopus when you are snorkeling at your favorite beach resort. With further study and perhaps a few barroom brawls, the marine biology community will eventually settle this dispute. Some believe that it may be a sub-species of the grimpoteuthis plena or grimpoteuthis umbellata species as opposed to being its own stand-alone species.
The last entry on the list, Grimpoteuthis wuelker, is as of yet unconfirmed by the marine biology community to be a Dumbo Octopus. If you are meticulous about details, you may have noticed that the list is comprised of 14 instead of 13 species. The 13 component species which are recognized to be bundled under the “Dumbo Octopus” name are:
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