Paper Birch Tree Octopus

Pair of paper birch tree octopi

These are paper birch tree octopi.  They are also called Wisconsinite Tree Octopus and pigmy tree octopus.  They only live in paper birch trees.  We found these on our tree this morning.  They are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals.  They eat the bark and leaves on paper birch trees, and they also eat the aphids that are on the tree.  They have no bones, so they can hide from predators under the bark of the tree.  The predators are three different types of hawks: the red-tailed, the sharp-shinned, and the Cooper’s.

Female paper birch tree octopusIt is easy to tell between the female and male tree octopus.  The female is pink, and the male is brown.  Just like their cousin, the giant pacific octopus, they have a tube on the bottom of their head that lets them make a quick escape if a predator is coming.  They pump air into the tube and can blow the air out fast.  The paper birch tree octopus is related to the endangered pacific northwest tree octopus.  It is not related to the octowalrus.

Male paper birch tree octopus with Raymie

The paper birch tree octopus is quite common in Wisconsin, but they are hard to find because they hide under the bark.  They are just starting to come out for the year, so the next time you are out for a walk, look for them on birch trees.

About Raymie

Raymie is a 11 year old boy who loves animals. He is always looking around for new animals. He wants to be a zookeeper someday.
This entry was posted in Mollusks and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Paper Birch Tree Octopus

  1. Grandma Miller says:

    LOL! Raymie, this is wonderful. It was so much fun to read. I’m going for a walk as soon as I can so I can look for the Wisconsinite Tree Octopus.

  2. Lynette says:

    🙂 Very nice find!

  3. Donna Tatar says:

    I was looking for the best kind of tree to plant on my front lawn and decided on the paper birch. When I click on images and saw your picture, I had to read the article and find out more. I live in Ontario, Canada and will be shopping for a paper birch soon. If I see one of your paper birch tree octopus I will definitely send you a picture. Thanks for the info.

Leave a Reply to Grandma Miller Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *