Laboratory observations of the feeding behavior of the cirrate octopod, Grimpoteuthis sp: One use of cirri

A single specimen from an undescribed species of Grimpoteuthis (Octopoda: C irrata) was examined in captivity for 53 days. It was successfully fed both brine shrimp (Artemia) nauplii alone and a mixture of adult brine shrimp w ith nauplii. Three distinct feeding modes were observed. The first, envelop ment, was only exhibited when nauplii alone were presented. The second, ent rapment, was exhibited when the mixture of nauplii and adults was presented . The third, cirri-generated current feeding, showed that the cirri in this animal beat in coordinated metachronic patterns to generate currents which transport individual adult brine shrimp under the bell and toward the mout h. Indirect observation suggests these cirral currents function in the othe r two feeding methods as well.