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What the sources say

Mimic OctopusThaumoctopus mimicus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Mimic Octopus profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 49 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Norman, Finn & Tregenza 2001

Norman, Finn & Tregenza (2001). Dynamic mimicry in an Indo–Malayan octopus. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysThe octopus that acts out toxic animals, and seems to pick the impression to suit the threat.
The source saysclearly impersonations of venomous animals co-occurring in this habitat ... the octopus makes decisions about the most appropriate form of mimicry to useNote: tagline
The page saysSilt and sand seafloor off river mouths, 2 to 12 metres deep, first found in Indonesia
The source saysIt is found on silt and sand substrates o¡ river mouths in water between 2 m and 12 m deep.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysMostly crustaceans and fishes that live in burrows
The source saystheir prey are mainly subterranean crustaceansNote: stats.diet; fishes in next claim
The page saysforages in daylight on open sand, in full view of predatory fish
The source saysemerges during daylight hours to forage on sand substrates in full view of pelagic
The page saysIts arm span reaches up to 60 centimetres
The source sayshas an arm span of up to 60 cm
The page saysIt was discovered in 1998 off Sulawesi, Indonesia
The source sayswas discovered in 1998 o¡ the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia
The page saysIt lives on silt and sand off river mouths, in water 2 to 12 metres deep
The source saysIt is found on silt and sand substrates o¡ river mouths in water between 2 m and 12 m deep.
The page saysthe team that first studied its mimicry filmed it at Sulawesi and Bali
The source saysDuring research dives in Indonesia (Sulawesi and Bali), we
The page saysA body with no rigid skeleton has fewer limits on the shapes it can take.
The source saysThe absence of a rigid internal or external skeleton reduces physical restrictions to adopting di¡erent shapes
The page saysThe first study was confident of only three impressions, and each copies a toxic animal.
The source sayswe are only con¢dent in our interpretation of the mimicry of soles, lion-¢shes and banded sea-snakes ... most obvious impersonations by the mimic octopus are all of animals that produce strong toxins
The page saysit pulls all its arms into a leaf-shaped wedge and undulates through the water like a swimming flatfish
The source saysthe octopus drew all its arms into a leaf-shaped wedge with a central mantle trailing the head ... undulating the body in the fashion of a swimming £at¢sh
The page saysThe authors believe the model is a sole
The source saysWe believe that this unique posture is mimicry of an abundant sole
The page sayssoles have poison glands at the base of their fins
The source sayssoles (including Zebrias species) possess poison glands at the bases of the dorsal and anal ¢ns
The page saysit swims just above the seafloor with its arms trailing, like a lionfish with its banded poisonous spines flared
The source saysswimming just above the sea-£oor with arms trailing from the body, taking on the appearance of a lion-¢sh ( Pterois spp., ¢gure 1 f ) swimming with its banded poisonous spines fully £ared
The page sayslionfish with its banded poisonous spines flared
The source saysthe long bannered spines of lion-¢shes are tipped with toxins
The page saysit threads six arms down a hole and raises two, banded, curled and undulating
The source sayssix arms were threaded down a hole and two were raised in opposite directions, banded, curled and undulated
The page saysBanded sea snakes inject venom through fangs
The source saysBanded sea-snakes produce venom that is injected through fangs
The page saysEach time the team saw the sea snake pose, it came in answer to an attack by territorial damselfish
The source sayson all occasions when sea-snake mimicry was observed it was exclusively a reaction to an attack by territorial damsel¢shes
The page saysSea snakes hunt by entering burrows and are predators of damselfish
The source saysSea-snakes forage by entering burrows, and are predators of damsel¢shes
The page saysThe authors read this as a sign that the octopus chooses the form best suited to the threat.
The source saysour observations suggest that the octopus makes decisions about the most appropriate form of mimicry to use
The page saysWhile foraging, it typically crawls along in drab brown, probing holes with its arm tips and using flared webs to trap fleeing prey
The source saystypically crawled along the substrate in drab brown colours ( ¢gure 1 b ), using their arm tips to probe down holes and the £ared webs to trap £eeing prey
The page saysIts prey are mainly crustaceans and fish that live in burrows
The source saystheir prey are mainly subterranean crustaceans and ¢shes
The page saysIt can enter a tunnel completely and come out of another hole up to 1 metre away.
The source saysanimals were observed to enter a tunnel completely and to emerge from another hole up to 1m from the entrance point
The page saysThe authors knew of no other octopus that forages through tunnels.
The source saysWe are unaware of any other octopuses that forage through subterranean tunnels.
The page saysThe researchers who first filmed it were confident about three: a sole, a lionfish and a banded sea snake.
The source sayswe are only con¢dent in our interpretation of the mimicry of soles, lion-¢shes and banded sea-snakes
The page saysThey also saw poses that might copy a sand anemone and a jellyfish, but called human readings of such poses subjective.
The source saysIt is possible that this posture impersonates large solitary sand anemones ... behaviour may impersonate large jelly¢shes ... Human interpretations of potential mimicries are subjective
The page saysOn four occasions, small territorial damselfish attacked and the octopus answered with its sea snake pose
The source saysOn four occasions, attacks by small territorial damsel¢shes ( Amphiprion spp.) elicited a posture where six arms were threaded down a hole
The page saysthe researchers saw that pose at no other time
The source sayson all occasions when sea-snake mimicry was observed it was exclusively a reaction to an attack by territorial damsel¢shes
The page saysSea snakes enter burrows to hunt and prey on damselfish
The source saysSea-snakes forage by entering burrows, and are predators of damsel¢shes
The page saysso the researchers suggested the octopus picks the form that fits the threat.
The source saysEvidence for such sophisticated behaviour comes from our observation that on all occasions when sea-snake mimicry was observed it was exclusively a reaction to an attack by territorial damsel¢shes. Sea-snakes forage by entering burrows, and are predators of damsel¢shes (M. Norman, personal observation). The observation that the octopus uses a particular form of mimicry when it is most appropriate suggests
The page saysCamouflage is well documented in octopuses and their relatives.
The source saysCamou£age and mimicry are well documented in cephalopods
The page saysThree Costumes
The source sayswe are only con¢dent in our interpretation of the mimicry of soles, lion-¢shes and banded sea-snakesNote: heading
The page saysIt looks that way.
The source saysour observations suggest that the octopus makes decisions about the most appropriate form of mimicry to useNote: hedged by 'looks'
The page saysThe researchers who first filmed it were confident of three impressions, a sole, a lionfish and a banded sea snake
The source sayswe are only con¢dent in our interpretation of the mimicry of soles, lion-¢shes and banded sea-snakes ... most obvious impersonations by the mimic octopus are all of animals that produce strong toxinsNote: vibe.reason
The page saysthe octopus seems to pick the one that fits the threat
The source saysclearly impersonations of venomous animals co-occurring in this habitat ... the octopus makes decisions about the most appropriate form of mimicry to useNote: vibe.reason

Source
02

Hanlon, Conroy & Forsythe 2007

Hanlon, Conroy & Forsythe (2007). Mimicry and foraging behaviour of two tropical sand-flat octopus species off North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

The page saysA later study of two species of so-called mimic octopus in Indonesia analysed nearly 500 episodes of flounder mimicry over 5 days.
The source saysThe so-called 'mimic octopuses' of tropical Indonesia ... two species of octopus ... Mimicry of a local, abundant flounder occurred commonly during 5 days of natural foraging: nearly 500 episodes were analysed
The page saysThe octopuses used it only when moving would give them away.
The source saysoctopuses used flounder mimicry only when their movement would give away camouflage in this open habitat
The page saysWhen still, they looked like small sponges, tube-worm tubes or colonial tunicates
The source sayswhen motionless, octopuses assumed body patterns and postures that resembled small sponges, tube-worm tubes, or colonial tunicates
The page saysOn open sand there is little to hide behind, and a moving octopus is easy to spot.
The source saysoctopuses used flounder mimicry only when their movement would give away camouflage in this open habitat
The page saysIn a later study of two so-called mimic octopus species, flounder mimicry appeared only when movement would have given the camouflage away.
The source saysThe so-called 'mimic octopuses' ... two species of octopus ... octopuses used flounder mimicry only when their movement would give away camouflage in this open habitat
The page saysBefore and after, the octopuses sat still or crawled slowly, camouflaged.
The source saysimmediately before and after flounder mimicry, they were camouflaged and motionless (sitting or very slowly crawling)

Source
03

American Museum of Natural History

The Talented Mimic Octopus. American Museum of Natural History.

The page saysDynamic mimicry, switching between impressions of toxic animals depending on which predator is around
The source saysa talent called dynamic mimicry ... Depending on which predator is around, this cephalopod adjusts its posture by folding, splaying, or hiding its arms to copy the shape, texture, and motions of the banded sole, lionfish, or banded sea snake—three toxic animalsNote: stats.superpower; see tagline claim
The page saysabout 2 feet
The source saysa 2-foot long species
The page saysIt is the first animal of any kind known to shift between several imitations, a talent called dynamic mimicry.
The source saysIt's the first animal of any kind known to shift between multiple imitations, a talent called dynamic mimicry.
The page saysIn 2011, researchers found that the harlequin jawfish sticks close to it and blends in with the colour of its arms while swimming outside its burrow.
The source saysIn 2011, researchers discovered that the mimic octopus has its own copycat—the harlequin jawfish (Stalix histrio), which sticks close to the octopus and blends in with the coloration of its arms to avoid detection while swimming outside of its burrow
The page saysPart of its defence is to look like something toxic.
The source saysparrot not just one but several toxic sea creatures
The page saysThe octopus even has its own copycat.
The source saysthe mimic octopus has its own copycat

Source
04

Allcock 2019

Allcock (2019). Thaumoctopus mimicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T87585522A87585525.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus
The page saysThe Red List rates the mimic octopus Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.