By Kimberly
Hickok | June 26, 2018 02:16pm ET
Warming
ocean temperatures are encouraging Australia's notably reclusive gloomy octopus
to branch out.
The
heat-loving cephalopod, also known as the common Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus), has expanded its
territory from the shores of New South Wales on the east coast of Australia
down to the now-warmer waters off the northeast coast of Tasmania,
an island state about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of the mainland.
Researchers mapped the gloomy's range expansion and reported their results in a
study published June 22 in the journal Scientific
Reports.
The
gloomy octopus, named for its droopy-looking white eyes, is a little bigger
than a beach ball (80 centimeters, or 31.5 inches across) and has a tentacle
span of up to 2 meters (6 feet), according to the Australian
Museum. Historically, this creature's range was limited to
the rocky tidal shores of eastern Australia; that was true until about 2000,
when the octopuses were first found off the southern coast of the Australian
state of Victoria, Oceana
reported.
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