In one of life’s rare opportunities, an elusive and very rare veiled octopus was spotted by New Zealand biologist Jacinda Shackleton, who recorded the occasion in two posts on her personal Instagram profile.
“When I first noticed it I thought it might be a younger fish with longer fins, but as I got closer I noticed it it was a female veiled octopus and I was overwhelmed with a complete sense of joy and excitement,” Shackleton told The Guardian. .
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The veiled octopus is one of the animals with the greatest gender dimorphism in nature: while females reach almost two meters (m) in length, males barely exceed 2.5 centimeters (cm). The name refers to the almost transparent membrane that connects the dorsal and lateral tentacles in females.
It is one of the few animals completely immune to the venom of the Portuguese caravel, a colonial animal very similar to the jellyfish. Caravel venom has been responsible for the death of humans in the past, due to its intensely painful action, which can reach the lymphatic system, mimicking the symptoms of a strong allergic reaction (closing of the throat, various swellings, etc).
Females have even been known to rip the tentacles off Portuguese caravels and take them with them for protection.
“I started shouting into my snorkel: ‘It’s a veiled octopus!’ I was so excited it was hard to hold my breath to dive in and film [o animal]“, she commented.
The first time a veiled octopus was seen was in 2002. Two more sightings were recorded later, until we finally came to the episode Shackleton experienced, making the occasion extremely rare – hence the excitement of the biologist, specialist in marine life and is still swimming through the coral regions of Australian beaches.
Shackleton told the Guardian it was not the first time she had encountered a rare animal: according to her, there was also a two-rayed ‘reel’ – an eagle ray and a melanistic manta (also known as a black manta) . However, seeing the veiled octopus was definitely her favorite experience.
“Seeing one of them is indescribable, I was extremely captivated by her movements, as if she was dancing in the water with a cape. The vibrant colors are just amazing, you can’t take your eyes off it,” she commented. “I really have never seen anything like it and I don’t think I will ever see it in my life. »
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