Nine-limbed octopus gives aquarium a leg up

ヒョウモンダコ：９本足、動きも個性的　傷などの刺激で増えた？－－すさみ　／和歌山

　◇エビとカニの水族館で展示
　すさみ町の江須崎海岸で、９本足のヒョウモンダコが見つかった。同町立エビとカニの水族館で展示されている。森拓也館長は「タコの足は切れても再生するので、傷か何らかの刺激で９本目が生えてきたのではないか」と話している。

　同水族館の平井厚志研究員が昨年１２月１５日深夜、海の生物を採取中に発見した。全長１２センチ。ヒョウモンダコは小型だがエビやカニを食べ、猛毒を持つ。

　平井研究員は「水槽に入れて観察すると、他のタコと動きが違うので、９本あることに気が付いた。非常に驚きました」。森館長によると、三重県で９６本の足を持つマダコが見つかったというが、「ヒョウモンダコの９本足は初めて聞いた」と話している。【山本芳博】

SUSAMI, Wakayama -- An octopus found off the coast of Susami is attracting attention for an unusual reason -- its nine arms.

The blue-ringed octopus, found by a researcher from the Susami Crustacean Aquarium, is on display.

"Octopus arms grow back if they are cut off, and it's possible that the ninth arm grew out of a wound or from some other stimulus," said aquarium head Takuya Mori.
Aquarium researcher Atsushi Hirai found the mysterious mollusk, which measures 12 centimeters in length, while looking for sea creatures late on Dec. 15 last year. Blue-ringed octopuses are small, but they possess a deadly poison, allowing them to feed on crabs and shrimp.

"When I put it in the tank and observed it, I noticed that its movements were different from those of other octopuses, and realized that it had nine arms. I was really surprised," Hirai said.
Mori said that a common octopus with 96 arms had been found in Mie Prefecture in the past, but it was the first time he had heard of a blue-ringed octopus with nine arms.