Washed up octopus in Macandrew Bay

25/08/2021

During an alert level 4 lockdown walk out on the Otago Peninsula, one of the educators at the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre came across several washed up common octopus/Wheke. These are not uncommon to see, as these animals only live 2 years and will move towards shallower waters once nearing death. 

This species of octopus is one of the largest invertebrates found living close to the shore, but are often overlooked due to their nocturnal lifestyle. The beak of an octopus is the only hard part of the animal, and is not easily digestible by the octopuses predators. The beak also relates to the size of the animal, which provides many scientists with useful information about predator-prey interactions and trophic dynamics. 

Photo Credit: Hanna Ravn, New Zealand Marine Studies Centre

Check out a similar story from 2012!

 

 

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