Atlantic Long Armed Octopus- Blue Heron Bridge- Phil Foster Park

A small octopus with relatively long arms it's skin is variable in color. It is usually either plain or speckled and closely matches the color of its surroundings. In this case, the sandy plains of the Riviera Beach Intracoastal on which it lives. Where the substrate includes gravel among the sand, the mottled pattern is often larger, there can be small papillae (fleshy protuberances) on the skin, and some light and dark barring on the arms. In some circumstances a white leucophore has been observed on the mantle tip; this may provide a disruptive camouflage when there are white pebbles in the vicinity. Like other octopuses, this species is able to vary its appearance to match its surroundings; when an individual is stationary on the sandy seabed, its coloring, patterning, and even brightness, so closely match the surroundings that the animal is very difficult to discern. Found on the sandy flats of the Blue Heron Bridge- Phil Foster Park