PREY SELECTION OF OCTOPUS VULGARIS CUVIER, 1797 BASED ON SHELL COMPLEXITY

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Keywords

Octopuses, Octopus vulgaris, Pagurus sp., Predator Prey Interactions, Animal Behavior, Octopodes

Area of Concentration

Marine Biology

Abstract

Octopuses are voracious carnivores, foraging on average 65% of their time daily. Prey selection varies depending on species availability, experience of the octopus, local environment, and individual preferences. The most important factor when selecting prey is the optimization of the energy used when hunting relative to the energy gained from feeding. In this thesis, I examine if a hermit crab’s (Pagurus sp.) shell surface complexity affects the selection of prey by Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797). Two octopuses were observed in this laboratory case study for their preference in consuming hermit crabs bearing simple shells. Two hermit crabs from each of three shell category (simple, medium, and complex) were placed in the tank and octopuses were observed for 14 hours. The complexity of the shell of the first hermit crab to be consumed was noted. The time lapse of shell capture, the hunting method, and movement of hermit crabs immediately before capture was recorded. The data do not indicate a statistically significant preference of shells with low surface complexity; the lapse time of capture was on average 1.10 minutes, and method of capture was not based on shell complexity.

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