Dumbo Octopus

A Cute Dumbo Octopus.

Dumbo octopus is a type of octopus named after Walt Disney's famous character Dumbo the elephant because of the ear-like fins. The huffingtonpost.com have stated that -  Dumbo octopuses have been spotted in deep sea environments in New Zealand and Australia, Monterey Bay, California, Oregon, the Philippines and in Papua, New Guinea. The largest Dumbo octopus ever recorded was over six feet in length, but the average size for most species is eight to 12 inches in length. 

There are around 37 different species of dumbo octopi. These interesting animals can be found in all oceans of the world. Based on Aquarium of Pacific - Dumbo Octopuses known as the deepest living of all octopus species live on the bottom, or hovering just slightly above the seafloor at depths of depths of 3000 to 4000 m (9800 to 13000 ft), with some living as deep as 7,000 m (23000 ft) below sea level. 

  

Dumbo octopus eat different type of crustaceans, bivalve, worms on the sea bottom and copepods (that are part of the zoo-plankton) when they swim near the surface of the water. Dumbo octopus swallows the prey whole. For that reason, size of the prey never exceeds 1-2 mm.

Reference:

• Onlinelearningcenter. (n.d.). Dumbo Octopus. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/dumbo_octopus

• Fox, C. (2014, May 15). Adorable 'Dumbo' Octopus Proves Deep Sea Creatures Aren't Always Creepy (VIDEO). The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/dumbo-octopus-video_n_5312440.html