photo #5388523

///@octonation: 🐙🎉Out of 18,000 entries from 42 nations, Magnus Lundgren’s photograph titled “Flamenco dancer” a female blanket octopus unfurling her vibrant cape amidst the Philippine night waters was awarded runner up,🥈second place, in the Underwater Category for the 2023 EU Wildlife Photographer of the Year!

Comment “Congrats Magnus!” below!

OctoNation celebrates @MagnusLundgrenphotography’s victory by doing what we do best—diving deeper into their story! 🥳

The Blanket octopus belongs in the same superfamily as the octopus that secretes minerals from her arms to form a casing around her body (the argonaut octopus)

The superfamily is named Argonautoidea (pronounced ar-gone-aw-toy-dee-uh)

There are 4 octopods in this superfam! 
1️⃣ Seven-arm Octos2️⃣ Football Octos3️⃣ Blanket Octos4️⃣ Argonaut Octos
The Argonautoidea name merges super cool ancient myths & marine science!
In Greek mythology, the quest of the Argonautica is an epic story in which a hero named Jason is sent on a near-impossible mission across the Black Sea to obtain the Golden Fleece, guarded by a Dragon 🐉, to prove his worthiness to become King 👑 

👺 Jason's power-hungry uncle, Pelias, believed this dangerous journey would result in Jason's death, thereby removing him as a contender for the throne he stole from Jason's father when he was born!
Jason then assembles a dream team of 50 Greek heroes like Hercules and Orpheus, & calls them the argonauts! (naut is greek for voyager) They sail on a ship named Argo, facing monsters, storms, & other wild challenges…

BUT WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE 4 OCTOS LISTED ABOVE!?
Well…to obtain the Golden Fleece, Jason gathered a crew of heroes, each with unique abilities & noble lineages!

Think of the octopuses above as a crew of superheroes with unique abilities (adaptations) that make them perfectly equipped to handle their lives (voyages) in the open ocean!
For example: All of them hijack jellyfish for transportation & as an added bonus, use their stinging tentacles as weapons against predators!If you read this far, comment “argo” below & let us know if you enjoyed this post! 🐙🥰