Octopus Squid (Octopoteuthis deletron)-
O. deletron, is a deep sea dwelling cephalopod and is under multiple scientific studies due to its handful of strange traits.
It is unique to the O. deletron to be (one of the?) only squid to have only eight arms and no tentacles. Babies (bottom left) lose their two tentacles as they mature. Light flashing photophores at the tips of the arms attract prey, and possibly mates. O. deletron is able to drop parts of its arms at will. The sharp “teeth” on its arms hook onto predators and prey. If needed, the squid can detach any arm at any length (unlike an octopus that drops the entire tentacle). Like a lizard tail, the arms grow back.
Also unusual among squid, the O. deletron sports a large penis. In the photos, o. deletron displays small white dots on near its mantle. These are sperm packets deposited by passing males. Since they are solitary and live in the deep sea, finding a mate is difficult. Whenever a male o. deletron meets another member of its species, it will deposit its sperm packets regardless of the gender of its companion.
Photos: (top) (bottom left) (bottom right)
(via ilovecephalopods)
Source: animaltoday
192 Notes/ Hide
thekinginblue reblogged this from animaltoday naturalscienceve reblogged this from animaltoday
nobiagari liked this
animal-and-flower-artwork liked this
cleaningoutmahlikes reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
cryptidecologist reblogged this from autokrates
runesmash2-0 reblogged this from autokrates
nimbochromis reblogged this from autokrates
caligoascendant liked this
coralcalypso liked this
autokrates reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
anxious--ace liked this
princeanderfels reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
housecreepy reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
truemo reblogged this from animaltoday
oceansofazeroth reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
cephalopods4eva reblogged this from satanslotion khaduk liked this
b9rambling liked this
riftist reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
curiousitykilledthe-crow reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
sensiblydeluded reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
skwidoodle liked this space-parasite reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
joi-in-the-tardis liked this
natratzz reblogged this from agent-7-at-your-service
tntkaboomsky liked this
agent-7-at-your-service reblogged this from corpusbonds
fisheskisses reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
77watson112358 liked this
corpusbonds reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
satanslotion reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
kennyhickeyapologist reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
bluelightning42 liked this
maplesquidarts liked this
pattylovesoctopi reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
mydetheturk reblogged this from ilovecephalopods
vaityadil liked this
ilovecephalopods reblogged this from animaltoday
highlandsquid liked this
creaturedeityendless liked this
the-prickly-pear reblogged this from softer-panic
animaltoday posted this
- Show more notes
