Rare ‘Septopus’ believed to be found off the coast of B.C.’s Pender Island
A scientist based in Washington state is celebrating after identifying what she believes to be a seven-armed octopus – usually found in the Atlantic Ocean – off the coast of B.C.
The creature was discovered in August when Pender Island resident Kathleen Durant was walking her dog and spotted a large, red jellyfish-like object on the beach.
But then, he saw an eye.
Hoping to find out what it was, she posted it on the Vancouver Island Field Naturalists Facebook page where marine biologist Casey Cook stepped in.
“I could tell from the images – because they were very good images of at least some of the anatomy of the animal – that this was not something that was local or at least known to be local,” Cook told CBC. on the island,
While some believed it was a squid, Cook discovered from the suction cups on its arms that it was an octopus – but which species?
“I knew I had seen pictures of this animal recently and it was alive in our ocean,” she said.
She began researching old articles, and comparing images of different species found on Pender Island.
Katherine Dobrowolski was initially scared when an octopus stuck to her leg at Ogden Point in Victoria. Now an unbreakable bond has formed between them.
And again, a perfect match. seven-armed octopus, or Halifron atlanticusAlso known as septopus and blob octopus.
This species actually has eight arms, Cook said. In females, all eight arms are evident. But males hide their eighth arm, called a hectocotyle, behind their eye to protect it, because that arm is used for reproduction.
Cook said Septopus is typically an Atlantic species, but a handful of seven-armed octopuses have been spotted on the Pacific coast in recent years.
According to a 2020 report Whidbey News-Times In Washington state, a possibly seven-armed octopus washed up on a local beach – exactly like the one found on Pender Island.
It’s not clear how they might have gotten into these waters, Cook said.
“The climate is changing, the currents are changing, and a lot of animals are ending up in the Pacific Ocean that probably don’t belong here,” he said.
Hypothetically, he said, they may have been brought here in ballast water or by other means, or perhaps they are native to the area and scientists have yet to discover it.
“I understand there’s not a lot of research going on in the deepest parts of the Salish Sea,” Cook said.
He said that although the chances are low that the octopus is a Pacific species, that does not mean it is not going to become a Pacific species.
“It seemed like this specimen was doing well, it didn’t look injured to me,” Cook said. “As far as I’m concerned it was absolutely intact.”
