Andrea And Antonella Ferrari Photograph Pair Of Mating Mimic Octopus

The Mimic was slowly flowing on the black sand bottom, leisurely spreading its long webbed white and purple banded arms without assuming that unmistakable flounder-like shape it typically takes when in flight mode, as it passed by a small unobtrusive hole in the substrate. In a flash, another confusing shape unexpectedly emerged and jumped it, which we immediately recognized as another octopus, however quite smaller and sporting an altogether different livery, decidedly more subdued and lacking any specific markings. And yet it looked strangely familiar - a White-V or a Long-armed octopus perhaps, one of those muck-dwelling confusing species which presumably all belong to the horridus complex? Expecting a violent territorial dispute - octopi are well known for cruelly and clinically strangling each other to death on such arguments - we floated hesitantly above...