Dear all,
the mimic octopus is an as yet undescribed species. it has a 'brother'
species the Wonderpus (also undesribed), which is an even more amazing
creature. You can read about these species and many more octopuses
(octopi?) in Mark Norman's 'Cephalopods - a world guide'. This is a book I
can thoroughly recommend to everyone. Apart from an identification guide,
it also has 'case studies' on cephalopod behaviour and new discoveries. One
section is about mimic behaviour. The mimic octopus is shown in three sets
of photographs mimicing a lionfish, a sea snake and a sole. Both the mimic
octopus and the Wonderpus appear to have quite a wide Indo-Pacific
distribution.
There is a lot we are yet to learn about the ocean and it's inhabitants
Patty
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