Beast of the Post: Roktopus

Department Of Defensive Operations (DODO) File.
Wildlife of the Snugglay Islands
0001: Roktopus 

Phyllum: Mollusca
Habitat
Roktopus is found only in the Slumber Strait, the channel of water between the Hebridean Islands of Great and Little Snugglay, off the west coast of Scotland.
Characteristics
These shy, intelligent cephalopods have a body, with a central mouth and a hard beak, and eight tentacles. They have large eyes and extract oxygen from the water with gills. Adult male and female Roktopi are typically 4 inches in diameter, but may grow to the size of a soccer ball, with tentacles which may be up to one metre (3 feet) long. There is no internal skeleton but in health the animals are completely covered with small rocks. Sodium Carbonate and Calcium Chloride, secreted separately from ducts co-localized in the skin, react to form the Calcium Carbonate "rocks" which remain anchored to the ducts:

Na2CO3 + CaCL2 = 2NaCl + CaCO3

The rocks are uniformly spherical. Roktopus can control their size to some degree by controlling the rate of secretion, but they do not exceed 1 cm (half an inch) in diameter.

The calcium carbonate which forms the rocks is naturally white, but Roktopus can add pigment to the ducts, providing the opportunity for camouflage. The classic purple and green colouration of wild Roktopi allow them to blend easily with the bed of the Slumber Strait, which is rich in amethyst and chalcedony. Roktopi studied in captivity alter their colouration to match their new surroundings.

Diet

Roktopus eats crabs, molluscs, and small fish. It can deliver a potent venom, which causes motor paralysis and then tears the immobilized prey apart with its beak.

Behaviour

Roktopi do not surface often, due to buoyancy issues, and prefer to lie flat on the seabed, pretending to be a pile of small rocks. When threatened, they may spray a jet of  rocks, which blinds and confuses the aggressor, while Roktopus makes its escape. When more aggressively attacked, the animal may separate a tentacle or two which, rich in nervous tissue, continue to crawl along the seabed, deflecting the predator's attention from the remainder of the Roktopus.

If there is no alternative, as when babies are threatened, Roktopus can be an enthusiastic fighter, whomping opponents with all eight rock-encrusted tentacles. The well-defended Roktopus is rarely hurt in such encounters, but may have to hole up for a few days after battle to regrow dislodged rocks.

Reproduction

The female Roktopus finds a sheltered cave in which she lays her approximately 100 eggs, attaching them to the walls. The babies, which are rockless when hatched, are very vulnerable during infancy and the mother protects them for at least 1 month, when rocks begin to form. Even then, the infant Roktopi provide a tasty, crunchy snack for predators, and many will be eaten in the first months of life.

Status

Like all creatures special to the Snugglays and surrounding waters, Roktopi are protected and unauthorized removal of these animals, or of the gems which litter their environment, is strictly forbidden.