July 25, 2008

Mutant Octopi













In nature, it is quite rare to encounter octopi with extra tentacles (or “arms,” for the purists), but a pair of aquariums in Japan’s Mie prefecture have some extraordinary specimens on hand.

The permanent display at the Shima Marineland Aquarium in the town of Shima includes a 96-tentacled Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) that weighed 3.3 kilograms (about 7 lbs) and measured 90 centimeters (3 ft) long when it was captured in nearby Matoya Bay in December 1998.

7 comments:

maru said...

The spawn of Cthulhu!

Unknown said...

Wow - No Kidding. How do you find all these great pictures? You are a person of many talents.

Undeniable Liberal said...

Sorry to correct you maru, but it would be the spawn of Cthulhi, as I'm quite certain that it takes two to cha-cha.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Flying Spagetti Monster to me.

Ramen

Kratoklastes said...

How close is Matoya Bay to Hiroshima or Nagasaki?

Just wondering.

Anonymous said...

It looks like something from a Guillermo de Torro film. Weird.

Weasel said...

That thing reminds me a bit of the Cloverfield monster.

God, I hope it doesn't get pissed and start attacking New York City.