Not Just Another Mimic Octopus-Wunderpus photogenicus

Wunderpus photogenicus, whose common name is Wonderpus, is often confused with the “Mimic Octopus”. Throughout this website you will learn that it is not just another mimic octopus. Wunderpus photogenicus will be sure to draw you in with its beautiful coloration and intriguing behaviors. Once just a misunderstood octopus from the waters surrounding the Indo-Malayan Archipelago, is now becoming more distinctive thanks to the work of F.G. Hochberg, M.D. Norman, and J. Finn.  And it is no 'wunder' this octopus is gaining notoriety!  'Wunder' stems from the German word wünder meaning wonderful or marvelous, 'pus' is the german suffix for foot (eight to be precise on this little fella), and photogenicus comes from photogenic meaning it is desirable for photographs!  This is literally the wonderful footed, photogenic octopus, and who can blame it with such beauty as seen below!

Check out this amazing creation in action. This video, taken by Nicholas Simpson, shows Wunderpus photogenicus in its natural habitat near the Philippines. Now that you've gotten a better idea of what Wunderpus looks like, it's time to learn about its habitat, adaptations, reproduction, and interactions with other species. It any questions come up along the way, feel free to contact us.

Want to learn more about unique organisms like the Wunderpus photogenicus? Visit the Multiple Organisms website where you will find other organism pages created by students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Go to the next page to learn about Classification.