![]() Dumbos hover above the sea floor, searching for polychaete worms, pelagic copepods, isopods, amphipods, and other crustaceans for food. The arms permit the animal to crawl along the seafloor, to capture prey, lay eggs, explore, etc. In addition to the propelling, this animal can also balloon away from high intensity or stressful situations. Despite being thought of as a myth, the gills of the Grimpoteuthis tend to assist the organism in propelling in, or away in various directions, even if it isn't by much. Movement of the arms can be used to help the animal move in any direction. Although it has been suggested that species of Grimpoteuthis are capable of jet-propulsion, this has since been deemed unlikely. Specimens of Grimpoteuthis have been observed to swim by using movement of the fins. Movement, characteristics, and food supply How cirrate octopuses escape or avoid predators is largely unknown. Furthermore, the cirrate octopuses lack innervated chromatophores and are therefore not capable of changing color (despite some unreferenced statements to the contrary ). The Grimpoteuthis do not have an ink sac (as is the case with all cirrate octopuses). Natural predators of cirrate octopuses include large teleost fish and sharks, and even marine mammals such as Sperm Whales and Seals, but these are mostly predators of other cirrate genera and Grimpoteuthis has only been recorded in the stomach contents of a shark. Species of Grimpoteuthis face few direct threats from humans, living at depths of 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) and below. ![]() ![]() However, in 2020, Grimpoteuthis was spotted 6,957 m deep in the Java Trench, confirming the hadal distribution of this genus. specimen was captured 60 km southeast of Grand Cayman at 7,279 m, but this depth is uncertain (as the specimen may have been captured while the net was descending to depth). Specimens have been found off the coast of Oregon, the Philippines, Martha's Vineyard, the Azores, New Zealand, Australia, California, Gulf of Mexico, Papua, and New Guinea.ĭumbo octopuses are the deepest living octopuses known, with some specimens captured or observed in hadal depths. Species of Grimpoteuthis are assumed to have a worldwide distribution, living in the cold, abyssal depths ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 metres. The persistent confusion and disparity about the taxonomy of these species has been attributed to the poor quality and limited number of specimens available for study. A new family, Grimpoteuthididae, has been proposed to accommodate these species and those of genus Enigmatiteuthis. Several species formerly classified in this genus were moved to other opisthoteuthid genera. 4 Movement, characteristics, and food supplyĪs noted above, many species collected on the Challenger expedition were initially classified in the genera Cirroteuthis and Stauroteuthis.
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