Smoothskin Octopus
Muusoctopus leioderma
This is the most adorable little octopus you’ve never seen. The Smoothskin octopus is named for its uniquely smooth orange skin, lacking the bumps or papillae common in other octopuses.
This species is a mysterious deep-water traveler that has recently been discovered in shallow water for the first time! This incredible little underwater gopher is also a burrowing octopus, making its den a tunnel that extends far below the seafloor!
Size
60cm long (2 ft)
Lifespan
Unknown
Habitat
Deep water: mud & silt
Diet
Benthic invertebrates (crabs, shrimps, worms) and fishes
Range
Northeast Pacific Ocean from Alaska to California
Predators
Skates, fishes, dogfish sharks, sea lions, fur seals, beluga whales
superpower
Burrowing
This octopus can evade predators and rest during the day by burrowing under the muddy seafloor. Unlike burying, where the octopus simply covers itself with a thin layer of sand, this octopus can get much deeper underground to form a tunnel for shelter.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Muusoctopus leioderma
This octopus was first described as Polypus leioderma in 1911, before being moved to the Octopus genus, then again it was changed to Benthoctopus, until finally joining the newly formed Muusoctopus genus in 2004. Recent genetic research suggests that M. leioderma doesn’t quite fit in the Muusoctopus group either, so their name may change again soon!
SIZE OF THE SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUS
This is a very small octopus, with large, cartoon-like round eyes, bulbous mantle that make it a really cute octopus. The deep water smoothskin octopus can grow to be as large as 60 cm, or 2 ft long.
LIFESPAN OF THE SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUS
The lifespan of this octopus is completely unknown.
RANGE OF THE SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUS
This octopus is commonly found in the northeastern Pacific, as far north as Siberia all the way down to California.
HABITAT OF THE SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUS
Smoothskin octopus live in marine sediment beds of mud or silt, and are generally only active at night. During the day, they retreat into their burrows. These tunnel-like structures act as the species main shelter. This octopus is normally found in very deep waters only accessible by trawl boats, with most being found between 450-650 m (1476-2133 ft).
DIET OF THE SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUS
Deep sea Muuscotpus leioderma was believed to eat fishes and crustaceans like shrimp, but that’s based on other Muusoctopus species and not on any direct evidence.
BODY PATTERNS AND BEHAVIORS
This octopus, as its name implies, has characteristically smooth, untextured orange skin, lacking the raised papillae found in a related species, the giant Pacific octopus ( Enteroctopus dofleini). The smoothskin octopus also has a distinctive raised fold of skin around the lateral margin of the mantle known as a keel, which is found in some other burrowing and burying octopus species.The keel may function in helping this octopus create its burrow. Scientists investigated the keels’ relationship to burrowing, and found evidence that burrowing behavior and the presence of a keel in benthic octopus species are evolutionarily linked. Additionally, individual Muusoctopus leioderma that stop burrowing in captivity will actually lose their keel over time.
This octopus is nocturnal and cannot be found during the day. However, at night it can be seen walking around the seafloor. When threatened or disturbed, it will burrow into the sediment, forcing itself deep down into the super soft mud and vanishing without a trace in seconds. Burrowing, unlike burying, involves the octopus creating a more permanent structure, such as a tunnel, below the sediment layer that it can live in, making a cozy space where it can rest during the day or hide from predators.
SMOOTHSKIN OCTOPUSES ARE RISING FROM THE DEPTHS
This species is historically only found in deep waters with trawl nets. However, a population of Smoothskin octopus have been discovered in depths as shallow as 11 meters (33 ft).
In 2023, scientists discovered this shallow water population in Burrows Bay, Washington, USA (coastal northeast Pacific Ocean) and are exploring why they may be there. It also gives scientists the opportunity to understand the details of this unique burrowing behavior.
This shallow-water population is a little different from deep water individuals, and these differences seem to be connected with the warmer water temperatures you see in shallower waters.
For one, scientists have found that shallow water individuals are generally smaller than 10 cm (4 inches), much smaller than deep water individuals.
They also seem to have lower sucker counts on their arms compared to deep water individuals, both of which are trends observed when water temperatures get warmer.
While observations of their morphology and genetic testing revealed that this shallow water population resembles the deep water Muusoctopus leioderma, testing also revealed that this species is more closely related to Octopus californicus than to other members of the genus Muusoctopus.
The taxonomic placement of M. leioderma remains a mystery.
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