According to Adriani Sunnudin, Lecturer of Marine Hydrobiology at the Department of Marine Science and Technology, IPB University, octopus is part of the Octopodoidea superfamily. “Indonesia has various types of octopus, both those that live on the coast and those in deeper waters. The Indonesian sea is not only home to coastal benthic octopus, but also has great potential in supporting the offshore fishing industry,” said the lecturer who is familiarly called Nani.
In the world, there are around 800 species of cephalopods, and more than half of them, around 57%, are octopuses. Currently, the number of described cephalopod species has not reached 1,000, with around 100 species found in Indonesian waters. One interesting type is Octopus cyanea, which has a large body size. Its mantle can reach a length of 160 millimeters, while its total length can exceed one meter, with arms reaching 4 to 6 times the length of the mantle.
Most of these octopuses live in coastal areas and tend to hide on the seabed. The uniqueness of octopuses lies in their ability to camouflage, making them often difficult to find. In fact, they can stick to the seabed and hide very well, making them easier to catch using tools such as crowbars.
However, Adriani explained that although octopuses are very diverse, identifying their species is not easy. “Because of their very flexible body shape and changeable tentacles, we often have difficulty in determining the right species. The structure of the suction holes on the tentacles can be a reference, but even that is not always enough to determine the type correctly,” he said.
This is where the role of academics and scientific research becomes very important. Adriani said that documenting the diversity of octopuses in Indonesia will provide many benefits
