The Mimic

By Jeffrey “Hammerhead” Philips:

The long reddish brown arm unfurled from the rocky den and glided to the unsuspecting prey. Jacques-Yves Cousteau called them the soft intelligence. Snails, crabs, and shellfish call them the night death. Land dwellers call them octopus, and the one that crept along the pebbled bottom was called the Atlantic longarm octopus.

This species is also called “the mimic.”

To avoid detection, this cephalopod will swim with its arms trailing behind its body to resemble a flounder. Other times it will stretch its eight, foot-long tentacles to mirror starfish. Or it may be balled up in a crevice with only its eye peering out of the darkness.

In West Palm Beach, we have an excellent area to observe these crafty creatures. It is under the four-lane concrete bridge that connects Singer Island to the mainland, known as the Blue Heron Bridge. Underneath this structure is a 15-acre island called Phil Foster Park. On the southeast side is a diver’s heaven for critter watching. Here is where the consortium of octopi lives.

The shallow salty water permits divers to have long bottom times, often in excess of 90 minutes. This duration allows the diver to find and observe the master mimic.

This creature’s two eyes are below an obvious bump for each one and rest on the upper ridge of a soft ball-like sack of its white brown-spotted head. Often on the reef, the octopus can be seen perched on three of its arms like a teepee. Upon a closer observation, you can see eggs under the female’s mantle, where they’ll stay until hatched. This is different from other octopus species, which hang their eggs from the rocky ceiling of their lair.

I remember one dive with my wife, Kitty. She wanted to see how curious these graceful animals are. She placed her red painted fingers in front of one that was spiraled across the crushed coral bottom. At first, nothing, then a single tentacle weaved towards her hand. The tip stopped at her fingernail, slid under her finger, then around her knuckle.

The other arms of the octopus followed tenderly. Soon, the tiny suckers tip-toed across her palm and past her wrist. As the minutes ticked by, the balled body pulled itself up and rested in her hand. She leaned close, her mask inches from the animal’s piercing eyes. It’s beak passing the clear water back and forth over its internal gills. Octopodidae studying Hominordea. Possibly, each wondering what thoughts were being generated in the other. Afterward, Kitty, tingling with excitement, described the softness of the tentacles, the solidness of the body, the sensations of the octopus analyzing and processing its newfound information.

I would not suggest trying to do this encounter yourself, because the octopus may just want to sample your flesh. You’d be left with a deep bite filled with infection.

For those who would like to observe these stealthy creatures, you can join Pura Vida Divers on one of their monthly night dives to Phil Foster Park or visit their website www.puravidadivers.com. Pura Vida Divers also offer private dive guides for you to enhance your enjoyment.

Jeffrey “Hammerhead” Philips, of Pura Vida Divers in West Palm Beach can be contacted at (561) 840-8750.