Mototi octopus
Amphioctopus mototi
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Mollusca
- Class
- Cephalopoda
- Order
- Octopoda
- Family
- Octopodidae
- Genus
- Amphioctopus
- Species
- Amphioctopus mototi
The mototi octopus (Amphioctopus mototi), also called the poison ocellate octopus, is a small sand-dwelling octopus that flashes a pair of iridescent blue-ringed eyespots (ocelli) at the base of its arms when disturbed.
It usually has a body of only a few centimetres and an arm span of around 20-30 cm. At rest it is mottled brown and cream to match the sand, but when alarmed it turns darker and shows bold patterns together with its eyespots. It is often confused with the blue-ringed octopus, and although its bite is considered venomous it should never be handled. It hunts small crabs, shrimp and molluscs, mostly at night.
The mototi octopus lives on sand and rubble slopes in the western Pacific, including the Philippines. It is a sought-after but uncommon find for muck divers, and patient searching on night dives gives the best chance of seeing one out of its burrow.