Drilling by Octopus vulgaris(Mollusca: Cephalopoda) in the Mediterranean |
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Authors: | MARION NIXON and ELAINE MACONNACHIE |
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Affiliation: | Anatomy Department, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E6BT |
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Abstract: | Octopus vulgaris drills holes in the shells of a variety of molluscs. The walls of the cavities drilled exhibit dissolution of mineral and organic material. The features which characterize the cavities have been described. The composition and structure of the shell itself is important in determining the size, shape and form of the cavity drilled, and not the size of the octopus. Capture, drilling the shell, and eating the occupant may take less than one hour. |
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