Dumbo Octopus

• GeneralIt swims by flapping two fins like an elephant's ears; it is the deepest-living octopus known.
• anatomíaIt lives at great depth and moves by flapping a pair of fins on its mantle that recall an elephant's ears, which is where its common name comes from.
• It swallows its prey whole, without tearing it up, which is exceptional among cephalopods.
• The females carry eggs at different stages of development at the same time: on the abyssal floor, where there are no seasons, they can breed at any time of year.
• It is a Dumbo Octopus: its two lateral fins, reminiscent of elephant ears, are its main means of propulsion, something exceptional among octopuses, which usually swim by jet.
• It lives among the deepest cephalopods known: its genus has been recorded at more than 7,000 metres.
• It has no ink sac. At that depth the darkness is total and a cloud of ink would serve no purpose, so the organ has been lost.
• Its arms are joined by a broad web that it spreads like an umbrella, and it swallows its prey whole instead of tearing it apart.
• Almost everything known about the group comes from specimens taken in research trawls and from a few videos shot by underwater vehicles.
• The female carries eggs at different stages of development at the same time and lays them one by one on the seabed or on corals, without caring for them afterwards.

Skeleton type

Invertebrate - no rigid skeleton (mollusc)

Habitat & environment

Abyssal bottoms (3,000-4,800 m)

Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimpoteuthis_discoveryi