Giant Octopus: On-line reference collection of octopuses & their prey, Alaska Pacific University

Giant Octopus: On-line reference collection of octopuses & their prey

Links to images of specimen hard parts collected for the Octopus Project. We use these specimens to document octopus diet and as a reference for the identification of small bits of shell collected in front of octopus dens.

Remains of the Prey

Midden composition

Text of a poster presented to the American Malacological Union/Western Society of Malacologists (1997).

Note that in many cases, the images are displayed at less than full size. Click on these images to see at full size.

IMAGE COLLECTION

1. Feeding Litter These specimens either shows octopus drill marks (see moon snail drill marks for comparison), or were collected in front of a den. The following were collected from octopus dens in Prince William Sound or Port Graham. Some dens were in intertidal areas; others were located by divers down to about 30m below MLLW.
Crabs The most common crabs in midden piles were Telmessus cheiragonus, Cancer oregonensis, Pugettia gracilis, and Lophopanopeus bellus.
Cryptolithodes sitchensis Hapalogaster mertensii Lophopanopeus bellus Phyllolithodes papillosus Pugettia gracilis Telmessus cheiragonus	Cancer gracilis Cancer magister Cancer productus Cancer oregonensis Bite marks on crab legs
Bivalves The most common bivalves in midden piles were the scallops Chlamys hastida and Chlamys rubida.
Nuttallii's cockle, Clinocardium ciliatum Arctic hiatella, Hiatella arctica Kennerley venus, Humilaria kennerleyi Stained macoma, Macoma inquinata Blue mussel, Mytilus edulis Alaska falsejingle, Pododesmus macroschisma Pacific Littleneck, Protothaca staminea Greenland cockle, Serripes groenlandicus	Chlamys hastata Chlamys rubida Saxidomus giganteus
Gastropods Snails were occasionally present in middens.	Polyplacophora We also found a few chiton valves.
Natica clausa Thais snails	Katharina tunicata Tonicella lineata
Brachiopoda Brachiopods (Lampshells) were prevelent in dens below 30 m.
A chewed Floy spaghetti tag Tag #44, bitten off by the octopus that was wearing it, and found at Den A, Green Island July 1996.
2. Beaks A sampling of cephalopod beaks:
from Octopus dofleini	from squids

Giant Octopus: On-line reference collection of octopuses & their prey

1. Feeding Litter

2. Beaks