muzgavac | musky octopus | eledone moschata

Musky octopus There are two musky octopuses residing in the Adriatic Sea - white and black or brown, but both are significantly smaller than the octopus. Variable in color, they adjust the color to the environment. They are up to 40 cm long and weigh up to 0.50 kg. Musky octopuses and octopuses have similar body shapes - baggy elongated body with eight equal arms around their mouth. Unlike the octopus, arms of the musky octopus have one row of tentacles. The arms are round in cross section, and their length is three to five times greater than the length of the body. Arms and body are wrapped in slimy skin. Musky octopuses are found throughout the Adriatic, living mostly depths of 50 m, on muddy, sandy seabed. It can live in a bit fresher water as opposed to an octopus. Like the octopus, it comes out at night. Mollusks, such as octopus and other cephalopods, have a funnel on their body through which they discharge water in streams allowing them to leap through the sea, while walking on the seabed with their arms, grasping surface with tentacles. When they find themselves in danger, they expel ink through the funnel, thereby creating around themselves a protective dark cloud.

Muzgavac, mrkač U Jadranskom moru obitavaju dva muzgavca - bijeli i crni ili mrki, ali su oba značajno manja od hobotnice. Promjenljive je boje, prilagođava se boji okoline. Dužine do 40 cm, a težine do 0,50 kg. Muzgavac i hobotnica su sličnog oblika tijela - vrećasto izduljeno tijelo te osam jednakih krakova oko usta. Za razliku od hobotnice muzgavac na krakovima ima jedan red pipaka. Krakovi su u presjeku okrugli, a duljina im je tri do pet puta veća od duljine tijela. Krakovi i tijelo su obavijeni sluzavom kožom. Muzgavca nalazimo po cijelom Jadranu, najbrojnije na dubinama od 50 m. Živi na muljevito – pjeskovitim tlima. Voli i nešto slađe vode za razliku od hobotnice. Kao i hobotnica, muzgavac izlazi noću. Muzgavci, poput hobotnica i ostalih glavonožaca, na tijelu imaju lijevak kroz koji izbacuju vodu u mlazovima, što im omogućuje skokovito kretanje kroz more, dok po dnu hodaju pomoću krakova, hvatajući se pipcima za podlogu. Kad se nađu u opasnosti, kroz lijevak izbacuju crnilo, čime oko sebe stvaraju tamni zaštitni oblak.

Benthos

Muzgavac, mrkač