Mimic picture

[Mustang]

Hey guys I am not a Cephalopod keeper but I thought this pic might be of interest

[cephalopoder]

That is a picture of wunderpus. Very rare, very hard to keep, very endangerd. It should go to a scientific researcher asap. I sent you email.

[Rudiger]

thats a beautiful animal, i can see why it is endangered. Chris, can you tell me what area of the world it is from? Any other info you know about it?

[cephalopoder]

Wonderpus is from from phillippines,indonesia. It is still undescribed like the Mimic. Both are collected with cyanide quite often and usually die during transport. I have encounted this species twice before and both times it died shortly after being in captivity. It is a species that SHOULD NOT BE COLLECTED untill we know more about them.
They have been seen in the wild by very few human eyes.
They live on sand and mud bottoms in burrows. It forages at dusk and dawn for crabs, clams, fish... and probes its long arms down holes in search of food. The banding pattern on wonderpus is much more dramatic than the Mimic. The horns over its eyes are also shorter.
chris

[OJsreef]

Sad to see it out of its home and to know it will only die in short time. They're crazzy looking when they swim, looks alot like a lionfish.
Just another sad example of people importing things they should'nt, thanks DICK / Tropicorium for setting that example.

OJ

[cephalopoder]

Well As it turns out after talking to DICK he is insisting on trying to sell a 8 dollar octopus(what he paid for it) for 500 dollars that has no chance to survive in any ones tank with out proper knowledge. So the high bidder will get it and die in a few days, not science. This is a sad exaple of greed.

[Rudiger]

thats really too bad. Sounds like it will die in his tank before he finds someone willing to pay $500.

[Iwantacephalopod]

Uh making a suggestion.. I think someone of scientific backround such as James Woods should purchase that guy before he perishes.. Your lucky enough its not dead after being caught via cyanide...Chris or Woods..should nab one since a). you know how to take care of em ...and be b). it will benefit science.. 500 dollars is alot of money..but see if you can neogtiate with that guy..its not worth losing an endagered species...I am sure some scientists can benefit from this.. someone rescue the little guy before he dies...:mad: :( :( :( :(
O well,...just my thoughts..
BTW...chris..hows your wonderpus/mimic..these days

[cephalopoder]

Buying it will not solve anything. It will only create a demand for this animal. This guy will think if he sold one at this price then he will be able to sell more. The species will be hunted and hunted till there may be no more. For every one that makes it alive into thiscountry 10 probably die in transport. The only way to stop it is not paying the high prices they think they can get and boycotting the wholesalers that import them.
I hate to say it but this animal will soon die. I was told it had not eaten in over 4 days. Its time is short. DICK cared nothing about the animal only money. I talked to him as well as a very respected scientist and expert on the this species. DICK knew nothing about cephalopods other than what he saw about wunderpus on a TV special. He cared nothing about its survival. He wanted glory by thinking he had the first mimic in the country. He was let down when I told him it was not a mimic and he was not the first to get wunderpus.
Believe me, I or some one else with the experience would love to buy it and save it from its empty fate.
Buy letting it die, maybe he will be less inclined to import them in the future. Buy buying it at a 650% price increase, we will only encourage him to import more.
chris

[Iwantacephalopod]

He should consider bimacs...limey moron ...mister DICK DICK DICK DICK..should get his ideas straight.. thats not cool man...what an amazing animal...leave it along..sheesh
Ya I agree with you cephalopoder..
Hows your bimac doing these days.
Thanks,
Devon

[OctoMonkey]

Last month or at the start of this month (cant remeber) I cancelled my long standing request for a "zebra octopus" which had been on a shipment list to the UK. I knew it had to either be Wunderpus or Mimic. IMO the species commonly available like bimacs or briareus would be enough for any hobbyist.

I too have came across this price-hiking thing. An importer got in some frogs which turned out to be much rarer than what he paid for them. I ID'd them in his place and six weeks later (obviously after he forgot it was me that ID'd them!!!) he tried to sell them to me at about 3 times th eoriginal price!

PS Chris, remeber the peripatis conversation? The programme I worked on by John Downer productions for the BBC is showing over here now... it is called weird nature.