| Abdopus aculeatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Genus: | Abdopus |
| Species: | A. aculeatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Abdopus aculeatus (d'Orbigny, 1834)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Octopus aculeatus d'Orbigny, 1834 | |
Abdopus aculeatus is a small species of octopus in the order Octopoda. It has the common name algae octopus due to its typical resting camouflage, which resembles a gastropod shell overgrown with algae. It is small in size with a mantle around the size of a small orange (c. 7 cm or 3 inches) and arms 25 cm (10 inches) in length, and is adept at mimicking its surroundings.
A. aculeatus has been described as "the only land octopus",[1] because it lives on beaches walking from one tidal pool to the next hunting for crabs. Many other octopuses can crawl short distances on land when necessary, but only A. aculeatus is known to do so on a routine basis.
- ^ Puiu, Tibi (28 July 2017). "Thought octopuses only live in water? Watch David Attenborough explain how the only land octopus hunts". zmescience.com.