Wunderpus

The body of Wunderpus is uniformly pale orange to red with distinct white bands along its arms and large, conspicuous white spots and bars, or stripes on its mantle, head, and eye stalks. There is a large, round white spot present on the tip of the mantle. The eyes are small and often stalked, so the head appears Y-shaped. There is a long, conical papilla over each eye (red with white tip) and thin white stripes extend from the eye down the stalk onto the mantle.

Conspicuous white bands alternate with red and extend the entire arm. The white band complex consists of a wide band plus a narrow band on either (or both) sides. Small round white spots are often visible in center of wide white arm band. The ventral mantle and arms are light in color and sucker bases are a yellow-cream color.

Wunderpus is primarily active at dusk and dawn feeding on small crustaceans and fishes by flaring its arms and webs over patches of sand or coral rubble to trap prey. This species also extends its arms into holes to probe for food. Living in open soft substrates offers little refuge from predators. Predators are unknown; however, Wunderpus is likely preyed upon by flounders and scorpionfish.

The iconic, dramatic color pattern of Wunderpus is most pronounced when the octopus is disturbed or threatened by a potential predator. This color pattern may have evolved as a defensive strategy against predators as a warning display through one of two scenarios: (1) it warns that the octopus is toxic or venomous or (2) it represents impersonations (mimicry) of toxic or venomous animals with similar color patterns which co-occur in the same habitat.

Suggested mimicry includes lionfishes (Pterois spp.) and a banded sea snake (Laticauda sp). Lionfishes possess long poisonous spines advertised with similar banded markings as seen in Wunderpus. Wunderpus has been observed to sit with six arms down a burrow while two opposite arms undulate to produce an appearance of a banded sea snake.