Wunderpus photogenicus | Wunderpus

The Wunderpus (Wunderpus photogenicus) is a spectacular long-armed octopus species that lives on soft sediment habitats in shallow waters (typically less than 20 meters deep). It is mostly found in the Indo-Malay waters and its range extends to Romblon and other areas in the Philippine archipelago. This creature is characterized by their small eyes on elongate stalks, a long, conical papilla over each eye and a dramatic and fixed color pattern of white bars and spots over a brown-red background. The Wunderpus typically emerges at dusk and dawn to forage in the twilight and catch small crustaceans. Wunderpus photogenicus is often confused with the Mimic Octopus. One-way underwater macro photographers and scuba divers differentiate them is by their eyes: The Wunderpus has long and thin eye stalks whilst the Mimic Octopus has much shorter eye stalks – often looking like they don’t have any at all.