The Bimac Octopus!

 

The cephalopod being used for this study is the California two-spotted octopus or Bimac Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). It is one of two octopuses commonly used in research due to their successful breeding and easy care in a laboratory setting. Despite this, there is few studies that use them to research the topics of this project. The Bimac octopus usually ranges from 17.5-58cm in mantle length (head to arms area) and is light brown or mottled in color with a very distinct spot found under each eye. They are found along the coast of northern California, to Baja California, and Mexico in intertidal (seashore) or littoral (near the shore) areas with rocky reefs, canyon ledges, caverns, and/or man-made pipes. They are mainly nocturnal, spending daytime hours sheltered in burrows when not hunting for mollusks and crustaceans. Plus these charismatic animals are good at camouflage too !

GIF courtesy of giphy.com