Information About the Dumbo Octopus

Appearance

• The Dumbo octopus, Grimpoteuthis bathynectes, has a semi-gelatinous or soft body to withstand the high pressures of the depths. It has eight heavily-webbed tentacles with 60 to 70 suckers each. The patterns on them distinguish males from females. While most Dumbos reaches lengths of only 20 cm, there was a sighting of one that was 6 feet long and weighed approximately 13 lbs. Juveniles are about the size of saucers, complete with adult-sized fins. As of June 2011, 18 species of Dumbo octopus have been identified.

Habitat

• Dumbo octopuses are found in the crushing depths of the ocean at between 400 and approximately 7,000 meters. One was seen around deep water vents at 6,600 feet. While some species of octopus can be found in tidal pools and can spend brief periods out of the water, the Dumbo octopus is pelagic, or exclusively sea-going, It never sees the sunlight.

Locomotion and Feeding

• All octopuses swim by pushing water through their siphons in a type of jet propulsion and by pulsing their arms. The fins help the Dumbo navigate the depths. The Dumbo octopus can hover in the water column a few feet above the ocean floor as it hunts for the snails, worms, bivalves, crustaceans and copepods that comprise its diet.

Challenges for Researchers

• Opportunities to study Grimpoteuthis are rare due to the remoteness of the habitat and the special challenges and risks of conducting research in the deep ocean. As of 2011, much of what is known comes from the study of dead specimens.