The Blue Ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) is one of the most beautiful marine animals in Okinawa. It’s only the size of a golf ball, but extremely venomous.

• • Scientific name: Hapalochlaena lunulata

 

• • Common name:  Blue-ringed octopus

 

• • Distribution:  Ryukyu Islands

 

• • Habitat: Tide pools and shallow water coral reefs

 

• • Diet: Crabs, shrimps, and fish

 

• • Average size: 8-12cm

 

• Color: Golden-yellow with blue rings

Interesting facts about octopuses in general 

1. Yes- you got it. The plural of octopus is octopuses.
2. They are capable of producing a dark cloud of ink to escape from predators
3. They have a parrot-like beak used for eating prey
4. Octopuses have eight arms and are capable of regrowing them
5. They use jet propulsion to move quickly through the water
6. The Blue-ringed octopus can kill a human with one bite

I first photographed the Blue-ringed octopus at Maeda point in 2011.  This intense octopus was published on National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen.

They are hard to find due to their small size. Persistence, patience, luck and a diving with a buddy with good eyes will increase your chances.

Mating season occurs in the summer months. A rare event that happens quickly.

People often ask me what is your most memorable experience underwater.  Definitely swimming along the reef with a Blue-ringed Octopus.

The difficult part is locking on focus and photographing it when the moment happens.

Cephalopods can produce a cloud of ink to confuse and escape from predators when threatened

My dive & jive buddy spotted this Blue-ringed octopus feeding on a crustacean during a night dive recently.

The two-part parrot-like beak cephalopods use for feeding.

The single Blue-ringed Ocellated octopus (Octopus ocellatus) is scarce in Okinawa. I have seen and documented only one live animal.

If you would like to increase your chances of getting better photographs of Cephlapods, I recommend using the Light & Motion Sola 1200 underwater modeling light. The red light feature allows the user to get in close without disturbing the marine life.

Anyone in Okinawa that would like to try a Light&Motion Sola light, I will gladly let you test one of my personal lights on a night dive.

Learn more about the Light & Motion Sola series.   http://www.lightandmotion.com/choose-your-light/sola

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature