Flapjack octopus
Amazing fact
The flapjack octopus is thought to catch and eat prey living around it on the seabed.
新江ノ島水族館
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
This octopus has fins that look like little ears.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Flapjack octopus
- Scientific name
- Opisthoteuthis depressa
- Japanese name
- メンダコ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Cephalopoda
- Order
- Octopoda
- Family
- Opisthoteuthidae
- Genus
- Opisthoteuthis
How the Flapjack octopus lives
It lives on muddy bottoms in the deep sea.
鳥羽水族館Basic data
- Range
- From Sagami Bay to the East China Sea
Where the Flapjack octopus has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- メンダコ
- 简体中文
- 扁面蛸
- 繁體中文
- 扁面蛸
- Español
- Pulpo Dumbo japonés
- Português (Brasil)
- Polvo-dumbo-japonês
- Русский
- Опистотеутис сплющенный
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — メンダコChecked: 2026-11-03
- 新江ノ島水族館 — 水槽内で初めて観察されたメンダコの摂餌生態についてChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Flapjack octopus
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Chubu
- Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium2026年11月3日時点で公式サイトに「本日、メンダコ展示中です」と表示。飼育が難しく展示が短期間で終わることがある
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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