Look what we found!
We typically see this kind of octopus at night, hunting in the very shallow intertidal. It was our first time to see it in the daytime. This octopus is a master of camouflage, able to change its color in a wink.
In the second picture above, its color exactly matches that of the Padina seaweed where we found it. When we let the little guy (or gal, not sure) go, it scooted right back into the Padina:
And the color match is truly remarkable. In the photo above you can see four of the arms, as well as the bulb-like mantle that contains most of the internal organs. To the right of the photo is a clump of Padina. If the octopus wasn't moving, we'd never have spotted it.
When I went in very very close with my camera, the octopus paled to a threatening white. But it's still only barely visible against the coralline sand. Really, only the angry white eye staring up at me gave it away:
Octopus are probably the brainiest invertebrates out there. They're the lightning-fast camouflaged ninjas of the reef flat.
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