20 March 2019

Creature feature: Meet the dumbo octopus



Illustration by Maxeen Bayer based on the Disney character Dumbo

Deep in the ocean floor lives an octopus, its common name derived from the Disney character Dumbo who can fly with its big ears. Just as the sky is for the endearing elephant, the dumbo octopus hails from the deep, steering the waters by flapping its ear-like fins [1].

To date, there are 21 known species of dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis) [2]. Being bathypelagic animals, they live 13,000 feet below water (or almost 4000 m) and are rarely seen in shallow waters. They live in tropical to temperate latitudes and have been observed in New Zealand, California, Oregon, Philippines, and in other areas [3].

Dumbo octopus comes in different sizes, shapes, and colors. Its average size is 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 12 inches) in length and its mantle, either U- or V-shaped. Like other families of octopi, their tentacles are umbrella-shaped, characterized by webbing between their tentacles, which help them navigate while swimming and crawling on the surface. Their ear-like lateral fins also help them propel around the water [4].

Grimpoteuthis has large eyes, about a third the diameter of their head, but it has limited use in the eternal darkness of the deep oceans. However, to defend itself against predators, it uses its ability to change color and camouflage against the ocean floor. When it camouflages, the ears emit a different color than the rest of its body [4].

They are carnivorous, eating isopods, amphipods, bristle worms and more. Their mouth is different from their kin, engulfing their prey rather than grinding and ripping [1].

The male octopus has a special protuberance in one of its 8 tentacles used to deliver the sperm to a female octopus, which the octopus stores until conditions are favorable for laying eggs on shells or small rocks on the seafloor. Young dumbo octopi are large when they are born and must survive on their own. They can live for 3 to 5 years [1].


Very little is known about these creatures. If you have more information on dumbo octopus, SeaLifeBase welcomes collaboration. Kindly send us a message at sealifebase(at)q-quatics(dot)org.


Written by Maxeen Danielle Bayer

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[1] Helmenstine, A.M. (2018, April 24). All about Grimpoteuthis, the dumbo octopus. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2W3CUtP
[2] WoRMS Editorial Board (2019). World Register of Marine Species. Available from http://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2019-03-15. doi.10.14284/170
[3] Oceana. Cephalopods, crustaceans and other shellfish: dumbo octopus. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Jfo2qM
[4] Ocean Conservancy (2018, October 8). Everything you need to know about the dumbo octopus. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2OAYNBg
[5] National Geographic (2018, October 29). Rare dumbo octopus shows off for deep-sea submersible. YouTube. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2u9gcEP

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