Date:Thu 6/20/2024 6:01 PM
Happy Thursday, everyone! Today's fish of the day is the glass octopus!
The glass octopus, scientific name Vitreledonella richardi, is a relatively unknown octopus, only discovered relatively recently. Living in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic zone of the ocean, at about 3,000 feet under sea level. The glass octopus has been found worldwide, in tropical and subtropical depths. There have been few sightings, but in 2021 footage of this cephalopod was created for the first time. As the least studied octopus in the world, we know very little about this animal, partially due to their translucent nature.
What we do know about these octopi is mostly about their physical appearance. They have a mantle that can get up to 11 inches in length, and have a total length of 18inches in adults, with juveniles only about a foot in length total. The eyes are rectangular, which restricts their field of view horizontally, and is thought to be an adaptation to make the eye less visible to predators. The glass octopus's diet is unknown, but they are regularly preyed on by bottlenose whales in their areas.
Like other octopi, the glass octopus lays eggs, brooding them within the mantle cavity. The eggs are only 4mm in diameter and hundreds of them are stored at a time, and it is thought that the mother dies after the eggs hatch. After that the translucent larvae live closer to the surface, living deeper in the water as they get older, with it thought that might get as low as 1000 meters below the surface of the water. As they age we know that the beak gets softer over time.
Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!