Red Octo @ Redondo

[Tangfish]

Bob and I hit Redondo earlier today (as in Wednesday) and I had the good fortune of photographing this little octo that he found in about 35 fsw or so, on the North side of the dive site.



Vis was pretty good considering all the rain we've had lately, and the fact that other dive sites like Cove 2 have looked like Milk Chocolate over the past few days.

[Dusty2]

Nice photo Calvin but I'm thinking it's a red not a gpo. Nice touch linking it to John's article though.

[Tangfish]

Thanks Dusty. You may be right and John Agrees. Here's another photo that might be better for ID.

[Grateful Diver]

I have a couple pics at home too ... haven't even looked at them yet. I have a class tonight, so it'll probably be tomorrow evening before I get some time to download my pics ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Dusty2]

Thanks Dusty. You may be right and John Agrees. Here's another photo that might be better for ID.

Actually there is nothing wrong with the first picture. Note the three little light colored rays below the eyes also no dark bar through the eye and eye socket? and how the "horns" and bumps on the body look flat and paddle shaped? These are 2 of the ways to tell a red from a GPO. The other is the area on the top of the tentacles and on the mantle should be light and be very wrinkled not bumpy. Also the head has very defined ridging not just bumps. Maybe this will help. This is a small one I took in port Townsend who is not happy about the starfish creeping up on him.

[H20doctor]

Calvin ... Please post more deathstar pics

[gutholmj]

This is the only small GPO I've ever found so is this really a GPO and if not, what's the indicator?

[Tangfish]

According to John's advice, it might be a Red based on how skinny those tentacles are.

[Dusty2]

That is one tiny octo! Great job getting that shot. I'm thinking red on that but it is so small that it may just not have matured enough to start showing the identifying factors yet. It's surprising to see one so small out and about like that. They are so vulnerable at that size.

[gutholmj]

All the red's I've ever seen had the distinctive lower eyelashes and paddle shaped horns. Including ones that were much smaller. The photo below is the smallest red I've ever seen and those features are pretty clear. The one I posted previously is the first one I've ever thought was a GPO, and not until I got home and looked at the photo.

[Dusty2]

The eyebrows are not always present. When they are not feeling threatened and have that smooth look they often don't have the eyebrows.

[Grateful Diver]

Got my pics done. Here's the octo Calvin posted in the first post ...



And here's a grunt sculpin that was tucked deep into a hole ... all I could get was his nost sticking out. And just before I took the shot, this little buffalo sculpin sidled up next to him ... camera hog ...



Something about this ronquil ... can't decide whether that's lunch sticking out of his mouth or if he's got some kind of a tumor ...



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[WylerBear]

Bob, That's a Blackbelly Eelpout I believe. And the ones at Redondo often seem to have tumors. Hmmmm. I wonder what that means about what's coming down the hill and out of the pipe there.

[whatevah]

Bob, That's a Blackbelly Eelpout I believe. And the ones at Redondo often seem to have tumors. Hmmmm. I wonder what that means about what's coming down the hill and out of the pipe there.

Georgia do you think they might be worms rather than tumors? I know that some of the fish that I harvest have worms in their flesh - others have none. There does sometimes seem to be a pattern - related to location rather than size or age. I know that fish have an external mucous layer which helps to protect them from parasites. I have a theory that some environmental influence (toxins? acidity? reduced salinity?) is causing depletion of the mucous layer in some particular areas and allowing the fish there to become targets for parasites. It's something I've been wondering about for a while - really need to ask someone more fishy than me what they know about this. Redondo is the only place I've seen Blackbelly Eelpouts and I don't think I've ever seen one free of these anomalies.

[WylerBear]

Interesting. Perhaps. I only called them tumors because that's when I've been told. I've seen Blackbelly Eelpouts at Les D and Old Town Dock but certainly see the most at Redondo. One year a few years ago it seemed like none of them had a problem but for the most part the ones at Redondo seem to be afflicted with whatever this is.