The fabulous Mimic Octopus

The Mimic Octopus is a species of octopus invented, discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi. Despite the video evidence to the contrary, I assume this cephalopod to be a hoax or some kind of viral marketing campaign. The Mimic Octopus protects itself from predators by mimicking other water creatures like poison sole and sea snakes. Incidentally, Poison Sole is the name of the fake death metal band I just started in my head with some of America’s finest bloggers.

The Mimic Octopus has been documented mimicking 15 different species, and think about all the other species he mimics when we’re not looking. Watch this video and giggle at around 1:20 when the Mimic Octopus runs across the ocean floor “looking something like a furry turkey with human legs”.

(Thanks, Geoffrey)

• cephalopods