DID YOU KNOW? The amazing Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is able to mimic up to 24 marine creatures. This fascinating creature was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia on the bottom of a muddy river mouth. It can reach about 60 cm in length and is typically brown and white striped. A strategy to avoid predators, the highly intelligent Mimic Octopus is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species, such as: sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, sole fish, sand anemones, stingrays, mantis shrimp, and even jellyfish. This animal is so intelligent that it is able to discern which dangerous sea creature to impersonate that will present the greatest threat to its current possible predator. For example, when the octopus was attacked by territorial damselfishes, it mimicked the banded sea snake, a known predator of damselfishes. Because Mimic Octopuses are found in muddy river bottoms and estuaries, its diet most likely consists of small crustaceans and fish.
Photo credit: Brandon Cole Marine Photography
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