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Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 9:49 pm
by YellowEye
Hi
The octo outside of the den of another octo mentioned in this thread
http://nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=23728, had a big long ribbon coming out of its gill. Anyone know what this is?
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:27 pm
by Tom Nic
Remnants of octo sex, if I remember correctly.
I don't remember the correct name, but I think it is the sperm packet that the male delivers to the female.
I'm sure someone will give all the correct nomenclature.
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:26 am
by deep diver
http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=22034
found this awhile back, thought it was some kind of fishing lure but Greg Jensen thought too that it was spermatophore- probably a recently-mated female
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:46 am
by John Rawlings
Yep....spermatophore.
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:00 am
by Tidepool Geek
Greetings
That is a ribbon of poop.
At the Feiro Center we see this almost daily from our GPO's. From a good sized animal those things can easily be several feet long and are surprisingly resilient and kind of stretchy - I'd rather not discuss how I know this
The color on this example is slightly different from what our GPO's usually produce. Ours almost exclusively eat live Red Rock Crab and I would guess that this one had recently eaten something else.
Fecally yours,
Alex
P.S. If you've got a copy of Jim Cosgrove's book
Super Suckers there are two pictures of GPO spermatophores on page 78.
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:34 am
by Waynne Fowler
Tidepool Geek wrote:Greetings
That is a ribbon of poop.
and are surprisingly resilient and kind of stretchy - I'd rather not discuss how I know this
.
:-D
Please. ... go on, we'd like to hear the story. ;-)
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:47 am
by YellowEye
Tidepool Geek wrote:Greetings
That is a ribbon of poop.
haha!
Thanks for the reply. I had grander hopes of this being something more rare and fantastic
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:11 am
by dtodd
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:01 pm
by Greg Jensen
yep- note the different color and shape as opposed to the poop shot
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:36 pm
by dtodd
Thx!
Re: Big long ribbon coming out of octopus gill
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:33 pm
by Tangfish
Could it be a piece of kelp, in there like a string of spaghetti going in the mouth and out the nostril?