This month's article series will discuss Lahaina, a sleepy town in Hawaii. Lahaina is a beautiful town on the western end of the island of Maui. Maui is one of the 8 islands of Hawaii. The island of Maui is approximately 2,132.00 Nautical Miles (2453.462 miles or 3948.464 kilometers), from mainland America, specifically California. Lahaina has a fascinating history, which can still be seen in the town today. Lahaina is a popular resort town, as its front street was extremely famous for its jewelry & clothing lines. They were also famous for their Wharf which is right next to the water. Unfortunately, due to the catastrophic wildfires of 2023, the Wharf, & their beautiful stores, were reduced to nothing but Ash. This has greatly affected the tourism in the town as well, which is terrible as Lahaina’s main sector is tourism. The town is also a prime location for fishing, as they are extremely biodiverse. Many fishing charters depart from their port each day, to Lanai, & other areas around Maui. Lahaina’s waters have beautiful coral reefs that creep up onto the shore. Along every beach, dead coral lines the sand, & sprawling reefs can be seen very clearly in the water. One of the most interesting creatures in these reefs is the Hawaiian Day Octopus. The Hawaiian Day Octopus is a cephalopod that lives off the coast of Lahaina. The first specimen of this species was captured off the coast of Australia, & currently rests in the London Museum of Natural History. They can often be seen sprawled out across the coral & rocky reefs, hunting fish. These coral reefs can be anywhere from 1 to 100 meters deep, giving them a wide range of habitats. They are also found in seagrass beds though not as commonly. This species is rather distinct, as it has blue-ringed markings across its skin. In this article, we will discuss the Discovery & Life of the Day Octopus, the Mating Procedures, Practices, Tactics, & strategies of the Day Octopus. With that being said, let us delve into this tropical cephalopod.
The Discovery & Life Of The Day Octopus
The Day Octopus was first described in 1849, by British Zoologist, John Edward Gray. The first specimen was discovered off the coast of Australia, & that was its original type locality. The mantle reaches about 16 centimeters (2.645547 inches) & the arms reach at least 80 centimeters (31.4961 inches). They range between 200 to 6,600 grams (0.440925 to 14.55051 pounds, or 0.2 to 6.6 kilograms), & an average weight of 1,200 grams (1.2 kilograms, or 2.645547 pounds). Their lifespan is very average for an octopus, being at approximately 1 year. Cephalopods in general are incredibly smart. They can distinguish between emotions of themselves & other octopi. They can feel affection & even love for certain humans. They have been witnessed exhibiting signs of enjoying being pet. They are also able to distinguish between humans. At one point, an octopus was seen to use the past actions of multiple caretakers to make decisions of whether to attack them or not. They are also able to hold a grudge. Oftentimes, if one particular human does something bad to the octopus, the octopus will never forget this action. Octopi are very psychologically aware. They may not be very social, but they are capable of synchronizing hunting. They will make sounds to get other octopi to help them kill something, then spill the food. They also have advanced eyesight which helps them hunt. This particular species is not known to exhibit completely individual personalities, but that does not mean it cannot feel. It is unknown how long this species in particular has existed for. These animals are migratory, & will only build dens for up to 35 days at a time. After that, they will abandon the den & build a new one. These dens are often located in seagrass meadows or muddy areas. They seem to not be very social creatures with one another, & are very solitary until breeding. They also tend to stay away from humans. Usually, they are not aggressive unless you provoke them, & rarely are the ones to initiate combat. Their main diet consists of bivalves, small fish, & crustaceans. As of publishing, they are not known to be cannibalistic. Their metabolism is extremely quick, which is why they need to eat a lot of fish very quickly to stay alive. Hunting exerts a lot of energy, which is why they are constantly looking for their next snack. They are not nocturnal hunters like the majority of octopi but are instead diurnal hunters. They hunt primarily by disguising themselves in the coral reefs, & striking when fish swim by. They blend into these coral reefs by changing the depth of their skin, as well as the color. The method of locating food for this species is through sight, & feeling. Whenever a creature swims by, they can both see it, & feel the waves that the animal made in the water against their skin. This enables them to hunt with amazing accuracy. Their primary predators are Hawaiian Monk Seals, Moray Eels, Sharks, & Dolphins. The maximum speed of a Hawaiian Day Octopus is approximately 1-2 miles per hour. They swim by motioning water through their siphon, & then quickly pushing that water back out. This method of locomotion is called jet propulsion. Octopi have 2 different types of sleep, these types being quiet & active. During quiet sleep, they will close their eyes, & periodically move their tentacles rapidly. During active sleep, it appears that they are awake, as they will move their tentacles rapidly instead of relaxing in the way we typically view sleep. The Day Octopus is usually red, with smooth skin. They also have blue dots all over their tentacles, which gave them the secondary name of “Big Blue Octopus”. These dots can extend up towards the mantle, but rarely onto the mantle. This is just how they appear in their resting state though, & they can change their skin depth, as well as their skin color. As of 2024, they are listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List.
The Mating Procedures, Practices, Tactics, & Strategies Of The Day Octopus
The Day Octopus reproduces via sexual reproduction. This species has 2 distinct sexes, & is not hermaphroditic in any way. Their mating system is polygynous, meaning that males have multiple partners, while females don’t. Both sexes reach full sexual maturity at 10 to 12 months old, usually falling closer to 11 months. They tend to be at the highest levels of fertility at 11 months as well. The males will signal to the females their willingness to mate by putting on a visual display of their skin. Once the males have successfully courted the female, they will engage in sexual contact. The males have a larger third right arm, that is used to deliver sperm directly into the female's mantle cavity, where her oviducts are located. The exact gestational period has yet to be established for this species. Generally, the gestational period for octopi around this size is about 3 months, so it is most likely around that mark. After the male mates with the female, they will never see one another. The female will then go back to her den & lay her eggs. It is unknown exactly how many eggs this female will lay at once. The females will die soon after they lay eggs, as they will stop eating completely to protect said eggs. She will protect these eggs till they hatch, at which point they will swim off into the ocean, & she will die of starvation. These babies will then explore the coral reef, & feed off plankton they find.
The Distribution Of The Day Octopus
This species of Octopus occurs primarily from the eastern coast of Africa, all the way to the Hawaiian Islands. They tend to stay primarily in tropical settings, & are not found extremely far south. The species of Octopus is found from 1 to 100 meters (3.28084 to 328.084 feet)
deep, & it has an average depth of 60 meters (196.85 feet). Usually, they hunt in coral reefs, & whenever they aren’t there they are usually in their dens. If a person were to attempt to catch footage of a live specimen, it would be best to search for it in a shallow coral reef. Unfortunately, it is unknown how much ground this animals cover per day.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Day Octopus
Octopi are incredibly unique for many reasons, however the main reason is their uncharacteristically high intelligence. This is not a trait seen very often in marine or land species. They have an incredibly complex neurological structure. They do not have a central brain as we think of it. They have individual systems for each tentacle. This is why if you chop off an octopus tentacle it will still move afterwards. They can also feel extreme amounts of pain. They can also feel emotions towards octopi & other humans. If they are wronged they may hold a grudge against people or other octopi until they die. However, they may also become emotionally attached to humans. They may feel differently about certain humans. They can recognize human faces to a certain extent. Octopi in general have been seen solving mazes, & when presented with these mazes later they will remember the route out. This means they can reconstruct the situation in their mind in a way that pictures the layout of the maze & the way out. They do have individual personalities & unique traits as well. This is a sign to not doubt octopi intelligence at all. A contributing factor as to why this is is that they share a similar genetic sequence with humans, this genetic sequence regulates learning. They have a total of 3 hearts much like squid or cuttlefish. They have 2 branchial hearts which pump blood to their gills. At this point, the blood will take in oxygen & be sent off to the systemic heart. After this, the systemic heart will pump the blood all over the body. Their blood is also blue instead of red. The reason for this is due to a copper-rich protein known as Hemocyanin existing in their blood. The existence of this protein in their blood causes their blood to be blue. This is very similar to the iron in Hemoglobin in human blood. This blue blood exists in all cephalopods. This blue blood can be used as a pigment if used properly. They do not have bones or any hard tissue besides their beaks. These beaks are located in the center base of all of the tentacles. They can fit through almost any hole that their beaks will fit through due to their purely soft tissue. The exact chemicals that their venom contains are unknown. They do use venom occasionally to force their prey to pass out, however they will not use this on humans. Their phylum is known as Mollusca. Mollusca is the 2nd largest phylum, just behind Arthopoda. Mollusca is however the largest marine phylum as it comprises approximately 23% of all documented marine species. The three most commonly found features defining modern species categorized under mollusks are the following: a mantle with a significant cavity used for breathing & excretion, the presence of a radula, and the structure of the nervous system. Their class is Cephalopoda. This class includes almost all species of cuttlefish, octopi, squid, & nautilus. Their order is Octopoda. This order contains the same types of species as Cephalopoda. A universal characteristic of this order is that all species classified under this are invertebrates. Their family is Octopodidae. This family contains the majority of all documented octopus species. Their current genus is known as Octopus. Octopus is the largest known genus of octopi holding over 100 species of octopus. This genus contains nothing but Octopi. The binomial name for this animal is Octopus Cyancea.
The Cultural Significance Of The Hawaiian Day Octopus
The Hawaiian name for the Octopus is “He’e Mauli”. In Hawaii, the octopus is considered a symbol of good luck, & is associated with the god, Kanaloa. Kanaloa was the god of the ocean, that ancient Hawaiians would pray to when sailing. Kanaloa was also one of the 4 main gods in Hawaiian Mythology. Kanaloa was often associated with Kané, the male god of creation. The name Kanaloa is also the alternative name for the island of Kaho’olawe. Also allegedly in the Hawaiian Creation story, the Octopus is an Alien left over from a previous universe, though we could not confirm this. The octopus is also associated with many other myths around the world, but for this article, we can only discuss the Hawaiian significance of this animal. There is also an old Hawaiian saying, “Pu ke kō, kū mai ka he’e. This saying directly translates to, “When sugarcane flowers, the octopus appears.”. What this saying means is that whenever sugarcane seasonally blooms, it is prime octopus hunting season.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Octopus Cyancea”, written by Heidi Chicas, & published at an unknown date. Published by Animal Diversity. Retrieval Date: September 10th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Day Octopus”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Maui Ocean Center. Retrieval Date: September 10th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “Day Octopus: Octopus Cyancea”, Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Aquarium of the Pacific. Retrieval Date: September 10th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Creature Of The Month: Day Octopus”, Written By Alexandrya Robinson, & Published on May 9th of 2021. Published By the University of Hawaii, at Mānoa. Retrieval Date: September 10th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “8 Tenti-Cool Facts About The Octopus” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Retrieval Date: September 10th, 2023.
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