The wonderpus and the mimic

Did you know that there is a kind of octopus called a wonderpus?

Sounds like a Dr. Seuss creation, doesn't it? But no, it's a real animal! The wonderpus octopus (Wonderpus photogenica) is a beautiful creature, with dark red skin marked by bold, white stripes on the arms and spots on the mantle. These spots are extremely distinctive, and vary for each individual octopus - so much so that they allow for the identification of specific animals. In fact, the wonderpus's distinctive appearance is what enabled its discovery. They are close relatives of another type of octopus called a mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus). In fact, it is highly likely that people have observed wonderpus for many years, but didn't realize it because it is very similar to the mimic. The mimic, however, has much more muted colors than the wonderpus. It was only in 2006 that scientists realized that mimics and wonderpus were 2 different creatures.

The mimic octopus is, in an of itself, pretty interesting, too. Found in the seas off southeast Asia, the mimic shows an amazing ability to hide itself in plain sight simply by looking like something else. It has been observed disguising itself as more than a dozen different species, including sea snakes, crabs, stingrays, jellyfish and sea anemones. It accomplishes this amazing feat of deception by altering the color and texture of its skin, as well as contorting its arms with a high degree of flexibility. While all octopus are able to hide themselves with camouflage, the mimic is unique in its ability to not just blend in to the environment, but to actively disguise itself to look like something else. While that makes it difficult for predators to find the mimic, it also makes it difficult for scientists to find them!