The Dumbo Octopus

Have you ever seen an octopus with two ears? Although not functioning as the hearing sense, the Dumbo Octopus has ear-like fins virtually protruding from the top of their head-like bodies. Obviously, the extra-large and queer looking ears of the Disney elephant character, Dumbo have been likened to this unique octopus that poses the exact resemblance, hence the name.

This wonderful yet weird looking sea creature thrives in the bottom of the ocean and in depths up to 7,000 meters below sea level, approximately 23,000 feet the deepest so far for any known octopus to reach, identifying them as one of the rarest octopus from the Octopoda family.

Now, you might ask which ocean? They actually live in all 7 oceans of the world but still unique in the sense that they are not easily found and caught because of the depth of their habitat particularly the pelagic zone of the sea, one in which it is dubbed as the invisible water column that goes from the surface of the sea almost to the bottom. The Dumbo Octopus is a deep-sea creature, typically one that lives on or just close to the bottom of the ocean floor.

It can grow in length up to 20 centimeters long with 8 tentacles and have an existing 37 species known. They have the special ability to flush the most transparent layer of their skin and feeds on their prey (mostly crustaceans, worms, bivalves, pelagic cope-pods and other deep sea creatures that are smaller than them) by swallowing it whole, a characteristic that makes them different from any other kind of octopus.

They usually maneuver and move around in the deepest and most mystifying part of the ocean in three ways. They use their arms by pushing and making a vibration; they shoot water through their funnel or just flapping their ear-like fins can do the job. However, they can do these singly or separately it would not matter as they move and wave along the seabed with ease of movement.

Male and female Dumbo octopuses differ in their size and the patterns of feeding and sucking. For female reproduction, there is no typical breeding season, they just lay eggs constantly and consistently, continually making cute baby Dumbos in and out of season.

 Dumbo Octopus Video