Videos used in creating ethograms for Callistoctopus furvus
Data files
Dec 16, 2024 version files 712.47 KB
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Finalized_ELekas_analysis_of_furvus_videos_2024_dryad.xlsx
651.68 KB
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README.md
60.79 KB
Feb 05, 2025 version files 759.36 KB
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Finalized_ELekas_analysis_of_furvus_videos_2025_dryad.xlsx
696.72 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Callistoctopus furvus (the “eastern” or “sand octopus”) is a relatively unstudied species of nocturnal medium-large octopus inhabiting shallow coastal areas of the tropical western Atlantic. To aid in field identification, promote further study of this species and enhance understanding of skin patterns and behavior of nocturnal shallow water octopuses, we composed an ethogram of C. furvus from photographs and 3.06 hrs of video collected of wild individuals in the natural environment. We cataloged three colors, 17 chromatic components, six groups of skin patterns (divided into 16 sub patterns), three textures, 10 postures and 12 behaviors. Photographs and videos of C. furvus from other geographic areas could be classified using this ethogram, supporting its validity for study of C. furvus throughout its geographic range. Nine features can be used to differentiate this species from co-occurring octopods through observation alone: the front four arms are larger than rear four arms, strict nocturnality, brick red incorporated into most skin patterns and rows of regularly spaced white spots that are always at least faintly visible on the arms, a polka dotted deimatic pattern, large “U”-shaped papillae on the mantle, six distinct mantle shapes, a shallow arm web, the execution of very few “parachute attacks” and a tendency to enter existing holes or bury itself in response to disturbance. Notable features include the use of at least one “dynamic” chromatic component, putative masquerade as algae, potential mimicry of trumpetfish or cornetfish and escape into either existing holes or by burying. Greater observation and study of C. furvus and other octopods from a diversity of habitats, latitudes and temporal niches will enhance understanding of how these factors have shaped the use of colors, body patterning and behavior of this unique group of molluscs.
README: Videos used in creating ethograms for Callistoctopus furvus
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.83bk3jb2x
Description of the data and file structure
These videos were collected in the shallow waters around South Caicos, in the Turks and Caicos Islands between 2020 and 2024. They were used to isolated the colors, skin patterns, textures, postures and behaviors of Callistoctopus furvus by the first author.
The following is a list of the videos and their associated metadata:
Video Name | Date | light color | Location | Snorkel or Dive? | Depth | Recording start | Filmer | Individual # of the night | Length of video |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
feb 28 Swim Zone | 28-Feb-20 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <1m | 20:35:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:16 |
GH010540 | 23-Jun-20 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <1m | 20:42:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:51 |
GH010545 | 23-Jun-20 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <1m | 20:43:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:30 |
DSCN3454 | 24-Jun-20 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <1m | 19:13:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:05 |
GH010616 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:34:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:49 |
GH010617 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:36:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:36 |
GH010619 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:45:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:22 |
GH010630 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:47:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:28 |
GH010632 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:51:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:04 |
GH010637 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:53:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:26 |
GH010644 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Old dock | snorkel | <2m | 21:58:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:57 |
GH010661 | 30-Jun-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 22:23:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:02:08 |
DSCN4004 | 28-Jul-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:39:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:54 |
DSCN4063 | 2-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:34:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:07:11 |
DSCN4094 | 2-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:35:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:55 |
DSCN4097t | 2-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:36:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:05 |
DSCN4108_Trim | 6-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 21:30 to 22:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:55 |
DSCN4340 | 25-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | not recorded | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:54 |
DSCN4461 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:26:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:47 |
DSCN4472 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:29:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:02 |
DSCN4483 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:30:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:41 |
DSCN4486 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:31:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:41 |
DSCN4491 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:33:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:10 |
DSCN4495 | 26-Aug-20 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 19:34:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:18 |
DSCN5204 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | not recorded | 19:43:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:04:24 |
DSCN5244 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | not recorded | 19:59:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:03:29 |
DSCN5260 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | not recorded | 20:14:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:57 |
DSCN5274 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:34:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:44 |
DSCN5281 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:35:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:25 |
DSCN5291 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:36:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:23 |
DSCN5298 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:37:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:23 |
DSCN5300 | 8-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:38:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:17 |
DSCN5418 | 26-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:25:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:08 |
DSCN5421 | 26-Sep-21 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:26:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:11 |
RCf2103 | 8-Nov-21 | white | Regatta | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | Theo Bufferd | 1 | 00:07:01 |
RCf2105B | 8-Nov-21 | white | Regatta | snorkel | 4ft | 20:10:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:01:26 |
RCf2105C | 8-Nov-21 | white | Regatta | snorkel | 4ft | 20:29:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:04:55 |
TRCf2106 | 15-Nov-21 | white | Tuckers Reef | dive | 9ft | 19:48:00 | Katie Zagata | 1 | 00:00:24 |
ChCf2107A | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 5ft | 20:10:00 | M Strike | 1 | 00:00:17 |
ChCf2107B | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 5ft | 20:10:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:02 |
ChCf2109A | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | M Strike | 3 | 00:01:30 |
ChCf2109B | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | M Strike | 3 | 00:00:08 |
ChCf2109C | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | M Strike | 3 | 00:00:30 |
ChCf2109D | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | M Strike | 3 | 00:00:35 |
ChCf2109E | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:00:35 |
ChCf2109F | 24-Nov-21 | white | Cox Hotel | dive | 6ft | 20:21:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:01:15 |
SACf2110A | 2-Dec-21 | white | Shark Alley | snorkel | 2ft | 19:55:00 | Morgan Cleary | 1 | 00:03:50 |
SACf2110B | 2-Dec-21 | white | Shark Alley | snorkel | 2ft | 20:48:00 | Morgan Cleary | 1 | 00:00:18 |
SACf2110C | 2-Dec-21 | white | Shark Alley | snorkel | 2ft | 20:48:00 | Morgan Cleary | 1 | 00:01:00 |
SACf2110D | 2-Dec-21 | white | Shark Alley | snorkel | 2ft | 20:48:00 | Morgan Cleary | 1 | 00:00:40 |
SACf2111A | 2-Dec-21 | white | Shark Alley | snorkel | <3ft | 20:37:00 | Andres Vincent | 2 | 00:00:59 |
DSCN6192 | 25-Feb-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 19:53:14 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:26 |
DSCN6202 | 25-Feb-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 19:55:02 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:24 |
DSCN6206 | 25-Feb-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 19:56:56 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:04 |
DSCN6255 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:17:24 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:27 |
DSCN6264 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:20:42 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:31 |
DSCN6285 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:25:12 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:15 |
DSCN6289 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:27:20 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:26 |
DSCN6304 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:50:40 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:32 |
DSCN6305 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:52:18 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:04 |
DSCN6320 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:58:10 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:01:29 |
DSCN6324 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:00:08 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:01:24 |
DSCN6329 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:00:58 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:00:27 |
DSCN6334 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:03:18 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:01:14 |
DSCN6336 | 13-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:06:16 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:02:33 |
DSCN6460 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:17:20 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:14 |
DSCN6461 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:17:58 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:32 |
DSCN6462 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:19:44 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:35 |
DSCN6465 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:22:22 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:50 |
DSCN6471 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:25:30 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:42 |
DSCN6478 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:31:38 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:17 |
DSCN6479 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:33:14 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:17 |
DSCN6480 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:34:44 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:24 |
MICRO0169 | 26-Mar-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 21:01:46 | Sydney O'Brien | 2 | 00:05:11 |
SZCf2201a | 4-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | 6ft | 19:44:00 | AJ Stringer | 1 | 00:01:04 |
SZCf2201b | 4-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | 6ft | 19:47:00 | AJ Stringer | 1 | 00:00:57 |
SZCf2201c | 4-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | 6ft | 20:39:00 | AJ Stringer | 1 | 00:05:27 |
SZCf2202 | 4-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | 4ft | 20:20:00 | AJ Stringer | 2 | 00:02:38 |
DSCN6702 | 10-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 20:59:52 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:16 |
DSCN6713 | 10-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 21:08:18 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:16 |
DSCN6692 | 10-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:26:12 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:01:38 |
DSCN6693 | 10-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:26:32 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:10 |
DSCN6694 | 10-Apr-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:27:26 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:37 |
DSCN0026 | 11-Apr-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | 2ft | 20:22:00 | Paige White | 1 | 00:01:24 |
DSCN0024 | 21-Apr-22 | white | Dove Cay | snorkel | 3ft | 20:30:00 | AJ Stringer | 1 | 00:00:18 |
DSCN0107 | 29-Apr-22 | white | Fish Rock | dive | 14ft | 20:52:00 | Sydney O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:33 |
DSCN0108 | 29-Apr-22 | white | Fish Rock | dive | 14ft | 20:52:00 | Sydney O'Brien | 1 | 00:06:16 |
DSCN7012 | 29-Apr-22 | white | Fish Rock | dive | 14ft | 20:53:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:09 |
DSCN7013 | 29-Apr-22 | white | Fish Rock | dive | 14ft | 20:53:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:13 |
DSCN0076 | 29-Apr-22 | white | Fish Rock | dive | 9ft | 20:06:00 | Kate Peters | 1 | 00:02:29 |
DSCN0082 | 3-May-22 | white | Tucker's | snorkel | not recorded | 20:19:00 | not recorded | 1 | 00:00:09 |
DSCN0085 | 3-May-22 | white | Tucker's | snorkel | not recorded | 20:19:40 | not recorded | 1 | 00:00:11 |
DSCN0086 | 3-May-22 | white | Tucker's | snorkel | not recorded | 20:21:54 | not recorded | 1 | 00:00:43 |
DSCN0071 | 3-May-22 | white | Tucker's | dive | not recorded | 19:59:40 | not recorded | 2 | 00:00:37 |
DSCN0072 | 3-May-22 | white | Tucker's | dive | not recorded | 20:00:14 | not recorded | 2 | 00:00:17 |
DSCN7041 | 8-May-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:08:06 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:51 |
DSCN7048 | 8-May-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:11:26 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:44 |
DSCN7049 | 8-May-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:35:12 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:06:10 |
DSCN7060 | 8-May-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 21:02:52 | C.E. O'Brien | 3 | 00:07:08 |
DSCN7061 | 11-May-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 19:58:42 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:04 |
DSCN7159 | 5-Jun-22 | white | North Street Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 20:32:02 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:17 |
DSCN7209 | 26-Jun-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:32:50 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:55 |
DSCN7210 | 26-Jun-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 20:35:14 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:39 |
DSCN7213 | 4-Jul-22 | white | Admiral's | snorkel | <5ft | 21:36:48 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:15 |
DSCN7254 | 10-Jul-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:32:48 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:20 |
DSCN7256 | 10-Jul-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:34:08 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:16 |
DSCN7266 | 10-Jul-22 | red and white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:42:10 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:15 |
DSCN7275 | 10-Jul-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 20:43:18 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:32 |
DSCN7629 | 10-Aug-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 21:38:38 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:01:02 |
DSCN7631 | 10-Aug-22 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | <5ft | 21:39:06 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:20 |
DSCN7765 | 3-Sep-22 | white | Regatta | snorkel | <5ft | 21:52:12 | C.E. O'Brien | tiny | 00:04:49 |
DSCN8235 | 3-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 19:38:24 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:12 |
DSCN8237 | 3-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 19:45:50 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:26 |
DSCN8238 | 3-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 19:47:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:43 |
DSCN8239 | 3-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 19:48:52 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:01:43 |
DSCN8240 | 3-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 19:49:46 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:00:23 |
DSCN8788 | 26-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:32:38 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:02:42 |
DSCN8789 | 26-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:36:08 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:03:25 |
DSCN8790 | 26-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:46:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 2 | 00:07:03 |
DSCN8808 | 26-Oct-22 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <1m | 20:54:48 | C.E. O'Brien | possible 3 | 00:02:53 |
DSCN9501 | Feb 26 2023 | white | Swim Zone | snorkel | not recorded | 20:26:56 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:50 |
DSCN9555 | Feb 27-23 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 20:01:12 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:00:51 |
DSCN9556 | Feb 27-23 | white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 20:05:02 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:03:44 |
DSCN0743 | May 4 23 | red and white | Hotel Beach | snorkel | <5ft | 20:27:00 | C.E. O'Brien | 1 | 00:08:03 |
A second by second analysis of the videos (classifying each of these features) by the second author is included. The metadata for each video is included in the first tab of this Excel.
The following is a key to the terms and abbreviations used:
Metadata Columns | Description |
---|---|
Date | Date video was recorded |
light color | Color of 2000-3000 lumen SeaDragon underwater light (white, red or both) |
Video Name | Name of video file |
Location | Site of observation |
Snorkel or Dive? | Activity of researchers |
Depth | Water depth, often estimated |
Recording start | Start time of recording |
Filmer | Name of person recording |
Individual # of the night | Individual's order among all the individuals seen that night (first, second, third) |
Length of video | hours: minutes : seconds |
Notes | Notable context, behaviors, or environmental notes |
Data Columns | Description |
Date | Date video was recorded |
Video name | Name of video from various underwater cameras |
Filmer | Name of person recording |
Individual # of the night | Individual's order among all the individuals seen that night (first, second, third) |
Video start time | Time filming commenced |
Second | Second of video |
Skin Pattern | Which of 6 skin patterns (divided into 16 subcategories) displayed by octopus (Brick Red, Brick Red with Central White Arm Base Blotch, Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Base Blotches, Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and White Arm Bars, Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Bases Blotches and White and Brick Red Arm Bars, Racing Stripe with Brick Red Dorsal Arms; Racing Stripe with White Arms, Mostly White with Sparse Brick Red Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and Brick Red Arm Bars, Mostly White with Intense Brick Red Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and Brick Red Arm Bars, Mottle (sparsely to intensely expressed), Stippled, Stippled with Rows of White Spots and Brick Red Blotches on Arm Bases, Polka Dotted, Polka Dotted with Brick Red Blotches on Mantle and Arm Bases) |
Texture | Which of 3 textures displayed by octopus (smooth, coarse or papillate) |
Posture | Which of 10 postures displayed by octopus (deimatic arm spread, elongated, flamboyant, flower pose, momentum posture, gnome, parachute, spread arms or torpedo) |
Behavior | Which of 12 behaviors displayed by octopus (Arm Exploration, Attempted Arm Capture, Bipedal Locomotion, Burying, Crawling, Entering Hole, Grooming, Jetting, Parachute Attack, Prey Handling or Stationary) |
Substrate Type | Substrate occupied by octopus (rock, algae, seagrass, sand, dead coral, etc.) |
Substrate Color | Substrate color (tan, brown, green, red, gray, light green, light brown, or combinations) |
Prey | What organism/species octopus captured or attempted to capture, if applicable |
Notes | Notes on notable context, morphology, or environmental factors |
Site Name | Description |
Admiral's Aquarium | Shallow coral patch reef, surrounded by sandy plains and seagrass between Long Cay and South Caicos |
Cox Hotel | Shoreline fringe reef surrounded by sand and seagrass |
Dove Cay | Limestone bedrock, patch reef and sandy plain off the north coast of Dove Cay |
Fish Rock | Shallow carbonate bank composed limestone bedrock off the coast of South Caicos |
Hotel Beach | Shallow carbonate bank composed of limestone bedrock, sandy plais, and seagrass off the coast of South Caicos |
North Street Beach | Large rocky rubble |
Old dock | An artifical cement pier |
Regatta | Mixed limestone bedrock, rubble, patch reef, sandy plains, and seagrass off the coast of South Caicos near a popular pier |
Shark Alley Lagoon | Sandy plains, patch reef and seagrass off the northeastern tip of Long Cay |
Swim Zone | Limestone bedrock, patch reef, sandy plains, and seagrass off the coast of South Caicos between cement piers |
Tucker's Reef | Shallow patch reef, limestone bedrock, sandy plains, and seagrass off the coast of South Caicos |
Version changes
3-Feb-2025:
Skin Pattern name in final manuscript Skin Pattern name during data collection
1a.) Brick Red (whole body) brick red with white arm spots
1b.) Brick Red with Central White Arm Base Blotch brick red with white heart and arm spots
1c.) Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Base Blotches brick red hood and arms with three white elements
1d.) Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and White Arm Bars brick red hood and arms with three faint white elements and white arm bars
1d.) Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and White Arm Bars brick red hood and arms with three white elements and white arm bars
1e.) Brick Red with Three Central White Mantle and Arm Bases Blotches and White and Brick Red Arm Bars brick red hood with three white elements and white and brick red arm bars, smooth to papillae
2a.) Racing Stripe with Brick Red Front Dorsal Four Arms racing stripe with brick red front four arms
2b.) Racing Stripe with White Arms racing stripe with white arms
3a.) Mostly White with Sparse Brick Red Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and Brick Red Arm Bars Mostly white mantle and arm bases with brick red elements, white arms with brick red arm bars
3b.) Mostly White with Intense Brick Red Mantle and Arm Base Blotches and Brick Red Arm Bars brick red hood with three white elements, white arms and sparse brick red arm bars
4a.) Mottle (sparse) sparse mottle
4b.) Mottle (intense) intense mottle
5a.) Stippled (whole body) stippled
5b.) Stippled with Rows of White Spots stippled with moderate white spots
5c.) Stippled with Rows of White Spots and Brick Red Blotches on Arm Bases stippled with mottle on arm bases
6a.) Polka Dotted polka dotted
6b.) Polka Dotted with Brick Red Blotches on Mantle and Arm Bases brick red with moderate white spots
Methods
Study Site
Video Collection
Video was collected sporadically between February 28, 2020 and May 4, 2023 around South Caicos by teams of two to six snorkelers or five to nine divers. Between 1930 and 2330 hours, these teams traveled by boat to dive at sites offshore (3-18 m) or snorkeled from shore (0-4 m). They searched seagrass, sand, algal plain, patch reefs and bedrock haphazardly for both Octopus briareus and C. furvus. When one was located, the nearest observer to the octopus began recording using a Nikon CoolPix W300 (resolution 1080 x 1920 res), GoPro Hero 8 (1080 x 1920 res), SeaLife DC1400 (1280 x 720 res) or SeaLife Micro 3.0 camera (1080 x 1920 res), illuminated by the 25% setting of a 2000-3000 lumen SeaDragon photo/video light (2000F, 2500F or 3000F). The videographer conducted a continuous focal-follow and recording of the octopus until it disappeared from view, the camera or dive light battery died or time and/or air constraints forced the end of the excursion. Over the course of four years, a total of 3.06 hours of footage of 27-35 individuals estimated to be between 7 cm and 15 cm mantle length (ML) was collected. Since octopuses were not measured or tagged to avoid interfering with natural behavior, estimations of the number of distinct individuals sampled is based on innate identifying features such as wounds, relative size and the location of sighting, and estimates of body size were based on visual comparison with objects in the surrounding environment. Some individuals were filmed once, while others were filmed multiple times over a single or multiple evenings. Videos lasted for a median (IQR) of 53 sec (89 sec), with the minimum time that any particular individual was filmed being 12 sec, and the maximum being 27 min 17 sec.
Video Analysis
In order to derive an ethogram of C. furvus, we utilized the hierarchical framework and terminology of Packard and Sanders (1971) and Packard and Hochberg (1977), and synthesized by Mather and Alupay (2016) and Hanlon and Messenger (2018), summarized in Figure 1 below. Briefly, overall appearance, termed “Body Pattern,” is composed of a hierarchy of constituent parts on a scale of graduating size.
The first author reviewed all footage (3 hrs and 3.45 min) three or more times and isolated each unique pattern on the skin (henceforth “skin pattern”), texture, posture and behavior expressed until no new ones could be isolated. Skin patterns were then described and named, and screenshots of each (three or more for each pattern) were collected and used to identify, name and describe the individual colors and chromatic components that composed them. Textures, postures and behaviors were also described and named. Identification of textural, postural and locomotor components was not attempted due to difficulty in discerning such fine details under the uncontrolled nocturnal filming conditions and the frequent occlusion of body regions by other body parts. Whenever possible, terminology from previous octopus behavioral studies (e.g., Hanlon & Wolterding, 1989; Tatiana S. Leite & Mather, 2008; Mather & Alupay, 2016) was utilized. Where no precedent existed, we have devised our own names based on color and shape or resemblance to known objects or patterns. According to standard convention, chromatic components are written with the first letter of the first word capitalized, while skin pattern, texture, posture and behavior names are indicated by capitalizing the first letter of each word.
Octopus express chromatic components, skin patterns and textures on a continuum of intensity, from small and/or barely visible to large and/or highly contrasting, and this intensity of expression can vary across different body parts (Andrew Packard & Hochberg, 1977). To account for this, we have listed the chromatic components observed on eight regions of the body that were noted to differ from contiguous regions: the Dorsal mantle, Siphon, Head, Arms bases (the area between the head and the arms where the arms diverge from the rest of the body), Arms and web, Eye bulbs, Eye and Ventral arm area. Because it was rarely visible, we did not attempt to categorize the ventral mantle. Most chromatic components are “static,” meaning that they consisted of relatively fixed displays of colors and patterns, but some can be “dynamic,” incorporating flashing or strobing through coordinated action of chromatophores expression (How et al., 2017).
To validate the ethogram, the second author independently analyzed the same video sequences to confirm that appearance of the octopus could be classified according to the categories established by the first author in all of the footage. Videos were analyzed second by second in this manner from the first second (0) to the last second of video, resulting in a total of 11,125 frames. Any frame which did not match an existing description was described and added to the ethogram.
Collection and Analysis of Internet Media
In order to determine if the chromatic components, skin patterns, textures, postures and behaviors identified in our examination occur species-wide or are unique to the Turks and Caicos population, both authors independently classified components, skin patterns, textures, postures and behaviors in photographs and videos of C. furvus sourced from the internet. Photographs were collected via several means. 11 photos were sent to us by colleagues from Brazil (Dr. T. Leite, J. Voix, Dr. M. de Jesus), while eight others were published in Jesus et al., (2021, 2022). Ten videos taken in South Florida and the Virgin Islands (2021-2024) were obtained with permission from photographer Dr. R. Fonseca. 12 photographs taken around Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas (2009) were obtained with permission from photographer Dr. P. Lyons. Forty-five images were found using Google image search (accessed October 2, 2020 and October 27, 2023) with the search terms “Callistoctopus furvus” “Callistoctopus macropus,” “Octopus macropus” (since C. furvus is still commonly misidentified with these names) and “white spotted octopus” and utilizing images that were labelled as taken at a location in the western Atlantic. We also procured 14 photographs from the wildlife observation website iNaturalist (October 3, 2023) using the search term “Callistoctopus macropus” (“Callistoctopus furvus” redirects to “Callistoctopus macropus”) and selecting all of the photographs taken in the western Atlantic. A single video was found on YouTube (November 2, 2023) using the search terms “Callistoctopus furvus” “Callistoctopus macropus,” “Octopus macropus” and “white spotted octopus” and selecting any recorded in the western Atlantic. We also solicited media from FASTMOLL, an email listserv for cephalopod researchers, and received six photos and four videos (02:10) from Dr. P. Sanchez from the Gulf of Mexico.
Ethical Note
Permission to conduct these observations was granted by the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR, permits D2-001, 2023-03-30-17 and 2024-02-13-05). Our minimally-invasive method (filming) limited the impact of the study on the animals involved by recording individuals in their natural environment and never capturing or handling them. Our presence and lights disturbed the surrounding wildlife to some degree, but the fact that we never spent longer than an hour at any site limited this impact.