The Octopus: Nature's ultimate shape shifter

by B. N. Sullivan

We have encountered octopuses frequently wherever we have dived, and they are fascinating creatures to observe underwater. They can change their coloration and the texture of their skin readily to camouflage themselves.  Take a look at the above image of a Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus briareus), which I photographed in the Cayman Islands. It can change its skin color from a dark reddish shade to the almost iridescent green you see here.  The skin texture can change from smooth, to rough or prickly looking to mimic the surface texture of the rock or coral on which the octopus is resting.

Octopuses also can squeeze through incredibly small spaces, since they have no skeleton, either internally or externally.  We have seen these creatures slide their bodies between lobes of coral that were practically touching each other, and flatten themselves to pass through a crack in the wall of a cavelet. It's a most amazing sight -- almost magical.

I recently discovered the video below on YouTube.  It had no accompanying explanatory information other than its title -- "Octopus escaping through a one inch hole" -- but it appears to be an experiment to illustrate the shape shifting ability of the octopus. At the beginning of the video, the octopus is inside what looks like a clear lucite box.  In the course of the next 30 seconds, the octopus manages to extricate itself from the box by passing through the round hole in the side of the box -- and quite effortlessly at that.

Watch the video and you will  see why we think of the octopus as Nature's ultimate shape shifter!

If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.

Hat tip to YouTube user defosterr, who posted the video to YouTube three years ago.

Bet you can't eat the whole thing!

What: A Striped Pajama nudibranch (Chromodoris quadricolor) browsing on a brightly colored sponge (Negombata sp.), which is the favorite food of this nudibranch species.

Where: I photographed this nudibranch in the Red Sea, at Tiran Island.

Seeing stars: A new descriptor for Linckia sea stars?

by B. N. Sullivan

Linckia sea stars all have plump, cylindrical arms, making the genus easy to recognize.  Earlier this month we posted a photo of a purple sea star, Linckia multifora.  Our fellow diver and underwater photographer Andrew Cooper commented that, to him, Linckia sea stars look like something a five year old would make out of Play-Doh.  We instantly liked that description --  it struck us as particularly apt.

So, here are two more examples of what we shall think of henceforth  as the Play-Doh sea stars, thanks to Andrew. (Check out Andrew's blog, A Darker View.)

The sea star in the first image below is Linckia laevigata.  The sea star in the second image probably is L. multifora (but we couldn't swear to it).  Both were photographed at Indonesia's Bunaken Marine Park.

Serene Waipiʻo Valley on Hawaii's Big Island

by B. N. Sullivan

This is the mouth of the Waipiʻo Valley, situated on the northeastern coast of Hawaii's Big Island, in the Hamakua district.   The remote valley is historically important as the childhood home of King Kamehameha I, but we think its greatest virtue is its stunning natural beauty.  The valley is about a mile wide at the coast, and is surrounded by steep cliffs that rise up to 2,000 feet from the valley floor.  Waipiʻo Valley extends inland for roughly five miles, and features hiking trails, streams, and waterfalls -- including  the 1,300 foot high Hiʻilawe Falls.

This photo was taken from the Waipiʻo Valley Overlook.  From this vantage point you can see the surf breaking on the black sand beach that forms the seaward edge of the valley.  The Overlook is near the top of the narrow, rugged road that descends into the valley.  Not only is the sole road into Waipiʻo Valley narrow, it is very steep -- a 25% grade -- requiring four-wheel drive.  It takes about a half hour to carefully descend into the valley from this overlook point.

As residents of Hawaii's Big Island, we may be prejudiced, but one thing we can say about our island home is that it's a feast for the eyes, don't you think?