Allow me to introduce myself. I am the blue-ringed octopus, one of the most sought-after macro creatures in the ocean. I am gorgeous, stunning, and highly venomous. Divers from all over the world look for me so they can snap a picture of my beautiful blue rings. I don´t usually show these off, but when alarmed, I will flash my iridescent blue rings I have all over my head, body and tentacles.
Don´t be fooled by my adorability and small size: I am one of the ocean’s most venomous animals.
I belong to the cephalopods and can be found in the Pacific and Indian oceans, on coral reefs, and rocky areas of the seafloor. Occasionally you can spot me in tide pools, algal beds, or seagrass. I like the dark and love the nightlife so I emerge at night to hunt crustaceans and sometimes small fish.
Usually, I am incognito and just look cute, but I flash my blue rings as a warning to predators when I feel threatened, so they realize they shouldn´t mess with me.
I have thousands of chromatophores under my skin. These are specialized cells that allow me to change color instantaneously. I can put on a threat display using these cells and iridophores, a specialized type of light-reflecting chromatophore that gives me my iridescence.
Besides using my chromatophores to fight off predators, I use them to camouflage myself. Even though I spend a lot of my time tucked away in crevices, I have to come out in the open once in a while. I am very good at hiding in plain sight, from animals that might try to eat me.
Try and find me, if you can….
