new wild bimac

[Dr. Idso]

Hello,

I just returned from Mexico, where I rescued an octopus from a local who was "ripping" them up with a gigging tool in preparation of eating them. He was snagging them out of cracks on a coral reef with a bent looking metal cattle prod. I jumped ahead of him and started working the crack and found an octopus before he got there. I told him I was going to let it go and that I didn't want it to be eaten. The guy just followed me around waiting for me to release it so he could gig it. Needless to say, I ended up not relesing it and brought it backhome with me. Here are a few pictures of the bimac. It has a golf-ball sized head and does some neat color changes. It is sharing an 80 gallon tank with another bimac of similar size. However, I just moved one out into a 55 gallon last night after they were together for two weeks, as one began to appear a bit afraid, as it just clung to a corner in the upper tank area and would not really move. They are both doing well now. The only problem is that I already have a captive bred in the 55 gallon that I will probably have top move into a 20 gallon, as I don't want it to get eaten by the larger octopus. The small one I got from fish supply last May and it was the size of a quarter. IT has now doubled in size, but its mantle is still only the size of about two peas. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the octos if I can load them up. Enjoy!!

Dr. Idso

 

[Dr. Idso]

More photos.

 

[Dr. Idso]

Another photo.

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect."

 

[Dr. Idso]

The bimac "dot."

 

[OctoMonkey]

Does it have a blue ring within the eye mark on the webbing? and is it broken or unbroken?

And where abouts in mexico were you?

hehe lots of qssss

Cool pics...

 

[chepvegas]

Thats not a bimac, looks like you have something else

 

[rmendis]

That "zebra-effect" pic is awesome!! How fast do they change patterns/colors?

 

[jayotte2002]

I do have to admit, that looks tasty. Have you ever eaten octopus? Chewy, but delicious.

 

[Dr. Idso]

Hi,

Let me answer some of your questions. I thought these guys were bimacs, judging by their blue-looking eyespots. To me they look continuous, but you can judge from the pictures. I caught them in Rocky Point, Mexico, on a coral reef.

I just took the picture on this page for size measurements. From the top of the eye bumps down to the tip of the mantle is a length of 3 inches in this photograph.

The zebra effect usually occurred whenever the two octopuses approached one another. It almost seemed to be a defensive mechanism of some sort. The change is instantaneous. From a light brown to a zebra effect takes only about one second. I wish you could see the video I have shot of this effect! All I can do is freeze frame pictures ffom the video and post them. I will put down a 3 photo series to document this change. In the first and perhaps second picture of the series, note the appearance of "horns" on the eyebrows and on other sections of the mantle. These horns are 3 to 4 mm in lenght and are pretty cool.

Also, I have eaten octopus. But, it was in some Korean restaurant and it was super hot in a spicy way (hotter than jalepenos) so I could not even taste the tentacles. But, their texture was rubbery. For myself, I would rather watch the creatures than eat them. Next month, I'll be transferring one into a salt-water aquarium I maintain in my 5th grade class so my students can learn about cephalopods. We do all kinds of feeding experiments and stuff with them, and the kids love it!

If you have any more questions, I'll try to answwer them, and I might put up some shots of the octopus chewing up a crawdad, which is what I've been training them to eat.

Dr. Idso

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect" series, picture 1.

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect" series, picture 2. Note the "horns" on the mantle.

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect" series, picture 3. Horns gone, colors blending back.

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect" series, picture 4. Almost normal.

 

[Dr. Idso]

The "zebra effect" series, last picture. Back to normal. If this octo is not a bimac, what could it possibly be?

 

[chepvegas]

Don't keep them close enough to see each other they will try and kill each other.

 

[Louis Z]

How did you get it thru the screening at airport(Mexico) and did US customs/Dept. of Ag. have a problem with it?

 

[OctoMonkey]

Interested to know what you think it is then chepvegas?

 

[Dr. Idso]

Hi,

I think my 80 gallon is large enough to keep two octopuses together, as long as I keep them well-fed. I do feed them crawdads daily, and there is a nice supply of turbo snails in there to supplement their diet, which they have snacked on occasionally. However, I did move one of the octos out into another tank, as it appeared as though it was scared of the other one. It is now doing fine in its tank, which it sahres with a captive bred bimac only one-twentieth its size. I am thinking of moving out the captive bred bimac into another one of my tanks, but so far the "wild one" has exhibited no hostilities to its relative.

I drove across the border, so I did not go through airport customs. I did not declare that I had an octopus with me to border agents, I simply told them I was bringing back a few fish I caught with me at the beach (which was the truth). I then openend my ice chest and began pulling out a bag of sea trout fillets from fish I had caught on the beach. The agent held out his hand in protest and said that he didn't need them and waved me on through. He did ask if I was bringing back any birds or anything of that sort and I told him, "No sir," and he waved me on through.

So does eveything think these are bimcas or what?

Dr. Idso

 

[chepvegas]

Oh, sorry. O. maya due to colors or maybe a vulgaris.