Octopus briareus are interesting specimens of marine life. They can be easily studied and bred in laboratories, which allows scientists to continue to gain knowledge of them.
Octopus briareus are not in any danger so far due to humans. They are not sought after for any particular characteristics nor do they have any specific predators that are a major threat.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
None. They are not particularly aggressive and their bites are not deadly.
None.
Octopus briareus eat a wide variety of animals, but their diet consists primarily of crabs and shrimp. Crabs are preferred because shrimp are much faster and more difficult to catch. Lobsters, polychaetes and a wide variety of fish are also consumed. Octopus briareus are known to hunt at dawn or dusk. They usually hunt by lying and waiting in their lairs, but if prey does not come around, they may leave to pursue it (Boyle 1983)
Octopus briareus are found in relatively warm, shallow water, including the tropical waters of the western Atlantic, the southeastern U.S., the Bahamas, the Caribbean islands, northern South America, and western Central America (Nauen 1984).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native ); oceanic islands (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native )
They inhabit shallow waters around coral reefs as well as well as rocks and seagrass beds. They are usually hidden in their lairs, which are very difficult to locate. The lairs can be within a coral reef or among plants and rocks on the ocean floor. These lairs are in the relatively shallow waters of the littoral zone of the oceans (Nauen 1984).
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; reef ; coastal
Octopus briareus have chunky bodies with eight arms that vary in length and diameter. In comparison to their bodies, their arms are relatively thin. They are able to change colors and textures in order to blend in to their surroundings. They can be brownish and even iridescent red to green. They do not demonstrate much sexual dimorphism. Males and females are similar in size, color, and demeanor. Also, the ovaries and testies are hidden. The only real noticeable differences are the presence of hectocotylus in males. This is a ventral crest formed by the fusion of a protective membrane with a ventral row of papillae so that the original form of conical papillae is hidden. Males also have at least one suction disc that is much larger than the rest as well and whiter in color. Octopus briareus are usually between 40cm and 60cm long, though they can get up to 100cm long. They can get up to 1.5kg in weight (Boyle 1983).
Range mass: 0 to 1.5 kg.
Average mass: 0 kg.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
When it is time to mate, the male initiates the process. This usually happens during the day. He approaches the female, mounts her, perches on top of the mantle, and wraps his arms around her head and mantle. He then transfers two spermatophores with the hectocotylus into the oviduct. This process lasts between 30 and 80 minutes. Though the female may struggle, the male is the one that terminates the process when he swims away. Suction marks present on the female's mantle are evidence of mating. After they have sperm in their Females can store sperm in their oviducts for up to 100 days. Before they lay their eggs, they find a suitable site that will provide protection. They sometimes even close themselves inside their lair and seal off the opening. Females contain 100-500 eggs. The eggs are 10-14mm long and 4-5mm wide with a 5-10mm long stalk. These stalks hold together clusters of eggs, each made up of around 25 eggs. The female sits with her eggs and broods them until they are ready to hatch. The process takes 50-80 days for the eggs to mature enough to hatch; however, it can be much faster in warmer waters. When they emerge, the babies are small versions of adults and are able to swim, consume food, produce ink, and change color as soon as they are born. Growth is very quick, and after 17 weeks, young will be 75% of adult size. Males are sexually mature after just 140 days and females at 150 days (Boyle 1983).
The Caribbean reef octopus (Octopus briareus) is a coral reef marine animal. It has eight long arms that vary in length and diameter. The mantle is large and chunky in comparison (up to 60 cm long). This species is difficult to describe because it changes color and texture to blend into its surroundings, using specialised skin cells known as chromatophores. Its color range is very large; it can change from crimson to green, and bumpy to smooth. It weighs around 3.3 lb or 1.5 kg.
The Caribbean reef octopus lives in warm waters around coral reef environments and grassy and rocky sea beds. Their biogeographic regions are as follows: the Nearctic region, Neotropical region (Central and South America), oceanic islands and the Pacific Ocean.
The Caribbean reef octopus lives in hidden, rocky lairs that are difficult to locate. Their lairs are usually created in shallow warm waters. O. briareus is not a social animal, and stays at a safe distance from other octopuses of the same species, except for mating. If faced with a predator, a Caribbean reef octopus, like most other octopuses, sucks up a volume of water then expels it quickly in the form of a jet to propel itself away. To further deter predators, it can eject ink to mask its escape. This octopus does not live in its lair for its entire life; instead, it moves often except when caring for eggs or young.
The Caribbean reef octopus feeds on crabs, shrimp, lobsters, polychaetes and a variety of fish. It is a nocturnal species which only hunts at night. The Caribbean reef octopus is an intraguild predator of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters.[2]
The Caribbean reef octopus does not seem to have any specialized or outstanding predators. It is preyed on mostly by sharks, stingrays and some other bony, predatory fish.
The mating season lasts for one to two months and is usually around January. The male and female sexes do not display dimorphism. The male first "mounts" the female's mantle, then inserts the hectocotylus, an arm that acts as a "tube", to allow the sperm to enter the female's oviduct. This lasts around half an hour. O. briareus usually mates during the day and only the male octopus can initiate or stop the mating process. After the female octopus has been fertilized, she can store the sperm in her oviduct for at most 100 days. After finding a suitable lair, the female then lays eggs. Some females have been known to seal themselves in their lair while pregnant. A female can lay up to 500 eggs; clusters of eggs are joined by special stalks. The female then sits with her eggs until they are ready to hatch. If any creature comes near the eggs, the female will attack it, though if it kills the creature, will not eat it. The eggs take 50 to 80 days to hatch, but will hatch more quickly in warmer waters. Newly hatched young are able to jet propel themselves round and squirt ink, much like their parents. In just 14 weeks, the hatchlings are 75% of their full-grown size and in just 140 days, male hatchlings reach sexual maturity, and 150 days for females.
Octopus briareus, like most other octopuses, is one of the most intelligent of all invertebrates (see cephalopod intelligence). The octopus's ability to remember where a foe resides and then avoid it is considered to be an intelligence trait. The Caribbean reef octopus has also been known to learn from others of the same species and some have disguised themselves as algae or coconuts to avoid predatory detection. This octopus, while not considered very aggressive, will show cannibalistic qualities if individuals are kept too close to one another in captivity. It has been seen hunting cannibalisticly in the daytime in the wild off St Vincent.[3]
The Caribbean reef octopus (Octopus briareus) is a coral reef marine animal. It has eight long arms that vary in length and diameter. The mantle is large and chunky in comparison (up to 60 cm long). This species is difficult to describe because it changes color and texture to blend into its surroundings, using specialised skin cells known as chromatophores. Its color range is very large; it can change from crimson to green, and bumpy to smooth. It weighs around 3.3 lb or 1.5 kg.
