And competition is fierce: females can have sex arms from many different males in her mantle at the same time. He wants to be fast about detachment and placement, because he’s competing with all the other male blanket octopuses. In order to mate with females, the male blanket octopus detaches his hectocotylus and puts it in the female’s mantle, the mantle being the large, conical part of the octopus above its eyes that houses all its major organs and vaguely resembles a gnome hat. The males don’t get their own tiny capes, but they do have a hectocotylus, aka a sex arm. There is still a lot we don’t know about the blanket octopus, but scientists hypothesize that the size discrepancy has to do with the male octopus’ need for speed and not much else. This size discrepancy makes the blanket octopus a severe example of sexual size dimorphism in the animal kingdom. This means the males are roughly the size of walnuts. Female blanket octopuses grow to be up to six-and-a-half feet long, while the male blanket octopuses grow to about 0.9 inches long. The female’s cape isn’t the only stark difference in appearance between the sexes. Blanket octopuses seem to have a penchant for dramatic flair, and even if their predators – like sharks and sailfish – don’t appreciate that, I certainly do. If the size-enhancing blanket alone doesn’t work, the females can detach part of their impressive silky membrane to distract predators and protect their eggs. Which is why the blanket as a look-how-big-I-am intimidation factor is so necessary. Because blanket octopuses live perpetually in the open ocean (cue The Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces”), instead of at the bottom of the sea like most other species of octopuses, they can’t rely on camouflage or hiding to avoid predation. The coloring of the blanket octopus varies from species to species – from a deep purple to a rainbow sheen – but the females all have the eponymous “blanket,” which they can unfurl at will. The females have a thin, partially see-through webbing attached to their dorsal and dorsal lateral arms, which can be seen flowing behind them like Egyptian cotton. Once you’ve seen a photograph of this stunning cephalopod, you’ll understand how it got its common name. This genus consists of four identified species: T. The fried egg jellyfish is a tale for another time, because today, right now, it’s all about the blanket octopus.īlanket octopus is the common name for a genus of octopuses known as Tremoctopus. The blanket octopus belongs on a list with animals whose names are both fitting and intriguing, including: the red-lipped batfish ice cream cone worm, which will make you think twice about stopping at an ice cream truck and the fried egg jellyfish. This animal is the embodiment of the phrase, “truth is stranger than fiction.” One such discovery is the snuggie of the sea, the ghostly creep of the briny deep: the blanket octopus. I can pivot from a career focused on books to a career in the sciences. But every new discovery fills me with such delight, and serves as confirmation that I am making the right choice.

I don’t remember how I learned about blanket octopuses, but I do remember thinking, “ This is why I love science so much.” As a student who staunchly avoided math and math-adjacent subjects, including science, up until last year, I am new in my exploration of the natural world. Have a suggestion? Email or leave a comment below. Welcome to our first installment of “Kortney’s Korner,” a place where Kortney, team member of the “So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist” podcast and MarineBio.life, dives into an oceanic topic of her choice.

Blanket octopus predators