| Flapjack Octopus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Range | Eureka Bar, California, at 350 m. It is also known from Japan, off Kashima-Nada, at 530–560 m. Nesis (1982/87) reports it from the Bering Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk to off Central Honshū in the Northwestern Pacific and to off outhern California in the Northeastern Pacific. |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Cephalopoda |
| Order | Octopoda |
| Family | Opisthoteuthidae |
| Genus | Opisthoteuthis |
| Species | O. californiana |
The Flapjack octopus, (Opisthoteuthis californiana), is a species of octopus.
Distribution[]
This species has been reported off Eureka Bar, California, at 350 m. It is also known from Japan, off Kashima-Nada, at 530–560 m. Nesis (1982/87) reports it from the Bering Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk to off central Honshū in the northwestern Pacific and to off southern California in the northeastern Pacific.
The majority of their time is spent nestled in the ocean floor, taking respite within the gentle embrace of the soft mud. These remarkable beings can also be spotted in proximity to rocks to look for food.[1]
Classification[]
The flapjack octopus is one of 14 species in the Opisthoteuthis genus. These species are also known as the flapjack devilfishes.
Species of Opisthoteuthis are the most compressed, in the anterior-posterior axis, of any cephalopod. This flattened appearance gives them the common name of flapjack or pancake devilfish. Species are thought to be primarily benthic although they are capable of swimming and in some species the swimming may be an important component of their pouncing on minute prey. As in other cirrates, most species are poorly known.
In Popular Culture[]
Lenny, the lovable flapjack octopus, takes center stage in a delightful children's book titled "The Exciting Exploits of Lenny the Flapjack Octopus." [2]
The Flapjack Octopus has been made famous by Pearl, the pink octopus character in the Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo. However, according to one of the scientific consultants on the film, Adam Summers, "Pearl would be pink mush since flapjack octopuses (Opisthoteuthis californiana) are abyssal creatures. They reside only at great depths".