Specimen Showcase | Comparisons of Cephalopodes

At first glance, both specimens look like octopuses, but only one of them is a true octopus. Both belong to the class Cephalopoda (molluscs with bilaterally symmetrical bodies, a large head and several arms), but are classified into different orders - the one on the left is Membranous Amphiprion (𝘈𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘶𝘴 (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832), which belongs to the order Octopoda, commonly known as octopus; and the one on the right is Euryptidus berrei (𝘌𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘺𝘮𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪 Sasaki, 1929), which belongs to the order Ottopoda, a type of squid.

Webfoot Octopus (left) VS Hummingbird Bobtail Squid (right)

Despite their similarities, it's not hard to tell them apart: the octopus has eight arms, no tentacles, and no internal shell or external fins. Octopuses are often called nature's most flexible animals, able to twist, elongate and shorten their bodies to fit into cracks and small spaces. In addition to 8 arms, the four-eared squid also has 2 long tentacles. The presence of the inner shell also makes their bodies harder, so they are less flexible. Additionally, they have side fins to aid in movement, but are slower than octopuses.

Coconut Octopus (𝘈𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴)

Hummingbird Bobtail Squid

Both species are small mollusks no longer than 8 cm and are rare only in the Indo-Pacific region. Our specimens were collected from the beach of Wu Kai Sha in Hong Kong in the 1970s.

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