Home > Illustration > Wildlife > Ocean Animals > Octopus & Cephalopods > Mimic Octopus

Mimic Octopus

Mimic Octopus line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Mimic Octopus full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Mimic Octopus was completed on 1.19.2011. I was looking to draw my fifth octopus, but couldn't decide on a species. But then I came across a great photo by my Flickr friend Eunice Khoo of a Mimic Octopus, which I had seen a video of some time ago. This clever cephalopod captured my imagination even then, so I chose it to be the subject.

Information about the Mimic Octopus:

The Mimic Octopus is a small species of cephalopod that lives in the tropical seas of Southeast Asia. It is a recent find, and wasn't officially discovered until 1998. As the name implies, this octopus is a master imitator. Incredibly, it is known to be able to mimic at least 15 different sea animals, including a sea snake, lionfish, starfish, giant crab, jellyfish, flounder, stingray, mantis shrimp and several others. Based upon observation, this octopus chooses which animal to mimic based upon the predators in the immediate area. Here is an amazing video that shows some of the different animals it imitates.