So my LFS had a Mimic for sale

[djmuzzi]

It was gorgeous.... They sold it for $500. I thought these were endangered?

[codybug]

I thought so too!

[djmuzzi]

They claim that since they were recently discovered, no one was looking for them before. The wholesaler they got it from was in Irvine as a matter of fact.....

[codybug]

I thought I saw a Mimic at the LFS (Tongs - in Fountain Valley). The owner said it was a Zebra octopus. Looked like a Mimic to me.

I don't know of any wholesalers in Irvine. I hated seeing that thing in a tank.

[djmuzzi]

I don't know any public aquariums that even have one.....

[Absint Reefer]

to keep a mimic alive you would need a tank no smaller than 300gl

[Gonodactylus]

Highly likely that it was wunderpus, not a mimic. The common name for either species before the first reports of mimicry was the "Philippine Zebra Octopus". Now anything with red and white stripes is called a mimic. Dozens of these animals have hit the market in the US and the UK in the past few weeks. As long as there are people willing to pay $500 a crack, they will continue to be collected until they are gone.

These animals live in muck and sand, habitats that are easily disturbed or destroyed by pollution and shell dredging. They also are relatively rare in the field, so it is possible for a "collector" to remove all of them from a bay in a short period.

The only way that people are going to stop collecting and exporting them is if the market dries up and that will only happen when the retailer who pays a wholesaler $125 for one expecting 300% profit is left holding the bag. But I think we all know that there are enough "aquarists" out there that have to have the rarist animal, no matter what the cost or risk to the species being sold.

Probably the only effective action that an individual can take to correct this is to tell the shop owner up front that since he/she is trading in rare and delicate species, you will no longer purchase anything, stock or supplies, from this business. If enough people follow through on such action, it would work. However, I doubt have a sufficient number of people have the conviction to make it work.

Several of us have been commenting on this problem with mimics and wunderpus for two or three years and they are still being sold - only now for even more money.

Roy

[codybug]

It probably was a Wunderpus.

[djmuzzi]

it is a shame.....I used to really respect this LFS owner....

[ChrisMc]

I have seen several on the wholesaler list going for $100 over the past few weeks. They are calling them zebra or striped octopus. I even saw flambouyant cuttles too several weeks ago!

[djmuzzi]

Wow!

I wonder how long it takes for them to be declaired endangered / protected?

[wizklaudia]

Would the wonderpus be ok with ribbon eels?

[djmuzzi]

They will eat anything they can get. Plus they need at least 300 gal tank...

[ub32965]

http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showth...ighlight=mimic

Here is a pic of the mimic that they had for sale.

[djmuzzi]

So appaerntly it isn't a mimic afterall. According to Gonodactylus above.

[Gonodactylus]

While I feel strongly that "wunderpus" should not be collected or sold, I think it important that there be accurate information concerning what we do and do not know about them. This is not a large animal. Most have a body about the size of a golf ball. Given that they usually do not kill large prey that they cannot consume, you certainly do not need a 300 gal tank to buffer water chemistry. The same is true of inking. Also, since they spend most of their time buried in sand and only emege for a few minutes in the evening or very early morning to feed, a large bottom area is also not that important. A standard 80 gal system should be more than adequate. As for diet, we really don't know that much about what they take in the field. Small crustaceans would seem to be their major prey. I've watched them take several small crabs on one foraging trip. Their mode of hunting would suggest that they probably don't feed on fish unless it is small, on the bottom, and possibly disabled.

Again, these animals should not be collected and sold - at least not until we know a lot more about their numbers, distribution, and reproductive biology.

Roy

[GreshamH]

Berkeley must be a hot spot for "wonderpus" I know of three that have been sold there alone. FWIW, they're coming from the island of Cebu in the Philippines.

[codybug]

I think many people are mistaking the Wunderpus for a Mimic octopus. They are two different animals.

[djmuzzi]

I would bet the people purchasing them are pretty dissapointed!

[codybug]

Some interesting facts about the Mimic Otopus:

This fascinating creature was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia on the bottom of a muddy river mouth. For the next 2 years, scientists filmed nine different Mimic octopuses impersonating sea snakes, lionfish, and flatfish - a strategy used to avoid predators. The Mimic octopus reaches about 60 cm long, and is typically brown and white striped.

The Mimic octopus has been observed shifting between impersonations as it crosses the ocean floor to return to its burrow.

Scientists speculate that additional mimic species will be found in muddy river and estuary bottoms in the tropics as these areas are typically unexplored.

All octopus species are highly intelligent and change the color and texture of their skin for camouflage to avoid predators. Until the Mimic octopus was discovered, however, the remarkable ability to impersonate another animal had never been observed.

Mimic octopus is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species. The creatures they mimic include:

• Sole fish: This flat, poisonous fish is imitated by the Mimic octopus by building up speed through jet propulsion as it draws all of its arms together into a leaf-shaped wedge as it undulates in the manner of a swimming flat fish.

• Lion fish: To mimic the lion fish, the octopus hovers above the ocean floor with its arms spread wide, trailing from its body to take on the appearance of the lion fish's poisonous fins.

• Sea snakes: The Mimic octopus changes color taking on the yellow and black bands of the toxic sea snake as it waves 2 arms in opposite directions in the motion of two sea snakes.

Scientists believe this creature may also impersonate sand anemones, stingrays, mantis shrimp, and even jellyfish.

This animal is so intelligent that it is able to discern which dangerous sea creature to impersonate that will present the greatest threat to its current predator. For example, scientists observed that when the octopus was attacked by territorial damselfishes, it mimicked the banded sea snake, a known predator of damselfishes.

[Mr.Lizard]

I am totally with Dr. Roy on this one (Gonodactylus) and respect his unique perspective/opinion as a practicing marine biologist/researcher/educator.
Too bad there are still so many idiots out there who insist on obtaining specimens of little known species just to boost their egos and soothe their inadequacies....Why not just get a new teenage girlfriend and a shiny sports car instead of pushing an amazing animal toward extinction??
I appeciate codybug's contribution of information!

[Bearbait]

I saw a mimic about 4months ago , I dont think they are Illegal just hard to obtain, Cities are a pain now no way one could slip thru if it wasnt on the list.