earthling @appassionato@mastodon.social
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Meet the Caribbean reef octopus (Octopus briareus) This reef-inhabiting cephalopod lives in warm shallow waters, spanning southern Florida to the Caribbean, through to South America’s northern coast. It’s distinguished by its eye-catching blue coloring, but this master of disguise can change its looks in an instant.

Photo: Christian Long, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

via amnhnyc


Image Description A photo of a Caribbean reef octopus on the seafloor. It is a vibrant blue color, and seems to be using its tentacles to walk across the sandy terrain. Like other octopuses, it uses pigmented cells in its skin, called chromatophores, to alter its appearance. When confronted by a foe, such as a shark, it may emit a cloud of unpleasant-tasting ink to deter its enemy from further pursuit.
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Taran Rampersad @knowprose@mastodon.social
Public

RE: mastodon.social/@appassionato/

I have had the pleasure of interacting with 3 of these over my lifetime. Wonderfully interesting creatures. One interaction last hours off an islet off the North West coast of Trinidad.

Gentle motions that stirred up sand got their curiosity every time.

Beautiful, intelligent creatures.

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