Event Title
Do octopi display preference when drilling cowrie shells?
Faculty Mentor
Melanie Devore
Keywords
Melanie Devore
Abstract
Octopi often feed on mollusks, drilling their prey before extracting the animal from its shell. When octopi consume gastropods they commonly drill the shell in the region of the spiral. In cowries, the spiral is concealed by the most recent shell growth. There are no reports documenting that octopi drill cowries in a preferred region of the shell. After examining and recording the position of drill holes in two species of cowries common in the Bahamas we found that there is indeed a preferred region located on the short-lipped side of the shell. In our studies we also observed that octopi strongly predate Gray Cowries, and only a single drilled specimen from the second species was identified. It appears that octopi display both preference in cowrie species consumed and also in the position where they drill these prey.
Session Name:
Biological and Environmental Sciences III
Start Date
4-4-2014 10:15 AM
End Date
4-4-2014 11:15 AM
Location
HSB 207
Do octopi display preference when drilling cowrie shells?
HSB 207
Octopi often feed on mollusks, drilling their prey before extracting the animal from its shell. When octopi consume gastropods they commonly drill the shell in the region of the spiral. In cowries, the spiral is concealed by the most recent shell growth. There are no reports documenting that octopi drill cowries in a preferred region of the shell. After examining and recording the position of drill holes in two species of cowries common in the Bahamas we found that there is indeed a preferred region located on the short-lipped side of the shell. In our studies we also observed that octopi strongly predate Gray Cowries, and only a single drilled specimen from the second species was identified. It appears that octopi display both preference in cowrie species consumed and also in the position where they drill these prey.